Wrong Again
by silver-eyed
Summary: Naruto and Sasuke have each other in a second chance as they attempt to try again. Time travel to the past like never before. Bear witness to good intentions and how they always go wrong. eventual sasunarusasu Mature
1. Chapter 1

Wrong Again

Chapter 1

I don't own Naruto or Sasuke or anything else and I don't especially make any money off of this.

For those who know me, I pretty much only write narusasu stuff, don't expect anything different this time. Here's my take on time travel. Enjoy!

* * *

He ignored the sounds of battle inside the village as Sasuke stood before him breathing hard. His chokuto had long ago broken under several Rasengans. Naruto himself was no better off. Weaponless and wounded, he was breathing hard as he leveled a glare at his best friend who up until that day hadn't stepped foot to these gates of Konoha for over three years.

It had been an unwanted nightmare when news from the patrols had come that Sasuke was heading toward the village. Reality approached when he stood in front of the village gates. He wasn't alone; behind him was his team Hawk, which consisted of the water freak, the originator of the curse seal, the fan girl, and the notorious Madara. They walked behind him and as he approached he didn't even bother to hide his presence.

His arrogance was something else. When Naruto had confronted him at the village gates, he had brushed past him like he was nothing. There was no acknowledgement at all; no words and barely a glance.

That was the real kicker. He could never stand to be ignored and by Sasuke especially who was the one person that he constantly sought acknowledgement from. Several heated words from Naruto had the cold boy turning around followed by some callous responses from Sasuke. He questioned, demanded answers as to why Sasuke was doing this.

Sasuke told him once to step aside; he wasn't the one he wanted to kill.

There were no more words after that. The fight was on and neither of them was going to back down. Sasuke didn't care why Naruto was standing in his way. It didn't matter; he just needed to knock the blond out of his way like he had done so many times before.

Naruto didn't understand why Sasuke was going against him and he only cared too much. He supposed he never did understand Sasuke's need for vengeance. It didn't matter; he just needed to knock some sense into that thick skull of his like he's been trying to do so many times before.

After watching each other and catching their own breaths, they started gathering their chakra for their trademark jutsus.

Naruto may, no, could have been something more if only there hadn't been larger than life Itachi standing in the way, taunting him.

Sasuke may have been his best friend, but this was his village; this was the village he swore to protect no matter what. He growled these words out to the other boy. They charged each other and clashed, staring eye to eye as each boy's jutsu threatened to outdo the other.

For a moment Sasuke stared at him, a nostalgic look on his face; so similar to his brother that for a second all he could see was Itachi bloody and wounded as he lifted up a finger to flick his forehead for the last time.

Naruto didn't see anything, much less the softening of Sasuke's face as the light was blinding, but that wasn't as blinding as the memory that assaulted him. Déjà vu deafened him and the pain of being pushed away constantly made him hesitate. In the most critical moment, he faltered.

Pain shot through his chest and he knew no more.

The explosion threw them apart but even still, Sasuke felt his hand plunge into soft flesh and organ before the white light became nothing more than pitch black darkness.

A cry ripped through the gates as the light dimmed and revealed the two bodies lying on either side of the destroyed area. Tears fell from jade eyes as she found herself too late and useless once more despite the training she had gone through. She took a halting step forward but gasped when the bodies started to dissipate like ashes in the wind.

As the bodies faded, she took another step forward only to find that she was vanishing as well. Another frantic look around her showed that the world itself was dissolving.

* * *

"Sasuke, wake up, it's time to get up! You'll miss your brother's departure if you don't get up," a female voice spoke quietly but firmly. The words of his brother's departure jarred a memory of a dying Itachi and he opened his eyes immediately only to groan and shut them.

A gentle chuckle came from the woman again as she apologized for opening the blinds.

"I thought you would already be up," she explained before tugging the blanket off of him and walking away. Not before leaving some parting words though.

"He's waiting for you downstairs." At that Sasuke slowly opened his eyes again. He caught sight of the woman closing the door and he almost did a double take.

"Mom?" he croaked out. She paused and raised a patient brow, "Yes Sasuke?" He drew a blank. What the hell was going on? Where the hell was he? Too busy trying to remember what happened he missed the frown on her face as she came back into the room.

"Are you alright honey?" she asked as she sat down on his bed and reached for his forehead. He jerked back reflexively and automatically tried to jump off the bed and onto the floor for better footing. His foot caught the blanket that she had pulled off of him and placed at the foot of the bed. His legs felt funny as he tried to catch his fall by taking a step only to find the ground much farther away from the bed than he expected.

Again he tried to catch himself this time with his hands but encountered the same problem as his feet. He landed in an ungraceful pile on the floor with the blanket wrapped around one foot.

"Sasuke! Are you alright?" the woman once more asked as she tried to help him up. Slight fear rose up in him as she reached for him. What had she done to him? He scrambled away from her hands and ended up looking like a squirming worm.

His arms and legs felt weird. He chanced a glance at them while he still struggled to get away from the imposter. They even looked weird, like they had shrunk! He glanced over his shoulder to see where the woman was.

Behind him on her knees she casted him a worried look but despite her kneeling position she was huge! Confused and disoriented he scrambled onto his back and managed to sit up.

"Sasuke! What is going on?" she demanded, concern and confusion lacing her voice and face.

"Stay away from me!" he squeaked and covered his mouth with too small hands. His voice! He sounded like a…like a kid! The situation quickly fell into place as that realization dawned on him. His eyes raced around the room frantically, his quick eyes picking up the traits of his old room; a room that he hadn't stepped foot into for over three years.

A genjutsu, it had to be an illusion! But his eyes should have seen through it. He gathered chakra and let out a pitiful amount with the word dispel in an effort to escape the genjutsu. His only result was his mother, no, not his mother, staring at him like he had just lost his mind.

He tried once more but couldn't summon much more than what he had last time. His mother, no, she didn't try to touch him this time but just kept watching him with critical, worried eyes.

"Who are you? What did you do to me?" he demanded; his panic still evident and his mind still hysterical over the fact that his voice was so childish. Immediately he covered his mouth again but that only reminded him of his small size.

"I didn't do anything, Sasuke. What's wrong honey? Did you have a nightmare?" she tried to coax him into calming down and reached out to comfort her little boy like any mother would. When she tried to grab his wrist to pull her into her embrace, instinctively he grabbed her hand and twisted it painfully just like he had been taught.

Surprised at his action she could only scream in pain as he let go and scrambled backwards until he hit the wall. The door flew open and Itachi flew into the room brandishing his kunai. He eyed the situation but confused he didn't say anything as their father stepped into the room.

His mom, the woman, was now standing up and backing up to her husband with a strange look on her face.

"What's going on here?" his father demanded as he frowned at his distraught wife and defensive son. She was holding her wrist in pain and Sasuke was crouched by the wall looking like a cornered animal. No one answered his question so he demanded once more. His voice was low and hard, promising punishment if unanswered.

"What is going on?"

"I woke him up. He's confused and didn't recognize me. I tried to comfort him but he…" she didn't finish. She looked at Sasuke pleadingly, "What's wrong honey?" she tried asking again.

Sasuke could only stare at the three people standing before him. His father, mother and big brother, Itachi. They looked so real that he could almost believe that it really was them staring down at him. But he took in their looks and he viciously fought down the unwanted need to run to them and hug them.

They were looking at him like _he_ was the crazy one; like they weren't an illusion that was bound to shatter when he started to believe.

"Sasuke," his father's voice ran out with steel, the tone that he used when he was displeased, exactly how he used to sound when Sasuke had done something he shouldn't have. His eyes whipped over to the older man.

"What are you doing," he grounded out. It took most of his will to not bow down his head and apologize to his father for disappointing him. It was strange, how he had tried so hard to get rid of these feelings but only for them to resurface as if years hadn't gone by.

"So-," he caught himself despite his mind screaming at him to not submit to the genjutsu. He shook his head but didn't dare take his eyes off them. He had yet to look at Itachi; he couldn't bear to look into his eyes or look upon his face. He wouldn't be able to stand the mocking look that he was sure was there. Once more he was disappointing his father. He could never please his father; he was forever in the shadow of his brother.

A flash of orange from outside brought his mind back to the issue at hand.

Naruto.

"No." He closed his eyes, screw the illusion. This wasn't real. He was fighting Naruto; he was going to get the idiot out of his way even if he had to beat him out of the way. The stupid boy was always in the way, trying to distract him from his goal. Remembering how that goal had gone, maybe it would have been better if Naruto had steered him away from his goal.

"Sasuke," came Itachi's calm voice, sounding so much like it always did. This only made him shut his eyes harder and cover his ears. Someone was saying no; they kept repeating it over and over and Sasuke wanted them to shut the hell up.

He needed silence to figure out how to get out of this illusion that hit way too close to home.

Home. Naruto.

Interchangeable in his mind; they meant the same thing. Where was that idiotic moron now? Did he lose? Did Naruto finally beat him?

No, he didn't. He could remember the feeling of his left hand arm deep in his chest. The distinct memory of heat from the blood and tissue as his chidori ripped through tender flesh was clear in his mind. It was even clearer than these imposters in front of him.

He heard his name being called once more and to him it sounded a lot like Naruto. Did that mean he was alive? He had survived the last time so maybe this time he…

He had to know. He opened his eyes only to find _them_ still there. The one playing Itachi moved forward and determined to find out if Naruto was alive or not, he jumped up and attacked. His sudden movement caught Itachi off guard, but like a true genius, he quickly gained the advantage despite his surprise.

His brother easily countered his feeble attacks and once again he was devastated that he couldn't even beat a fake. The last thing he saw was his mother's crying eyes as a blow, most likely from his father, landed on the back of his head.

* * *

So what do you think? This hopefully won't turn out to be as long as _As It Is Now_. But it will be darker and most likely not a happy ending; at least this part. I'm thinking of a two part story, this being the first part of course.

Also the perspectives will be from both Sasuke and Naruto's point of view. It'll switch back and forth a lot and to make it less confusing, it'll only be in one or the other's POV and no one else's. Expect chapter lengths to be like this until they grow up again.

Hope you guys liked this as much as I do!


	2. Chapter 2

Wrong Again

Chapter 2

I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Naruto groaned as he rolled over only to promptly fall off. The feeling of falling blind paralyzed him and all he could do was flail helplessly disoriented before he crashed to the ground with a painful thud. He sat up and gingerly rubbed the back of his head.

He didn't know how long he had been out. The sun was going down and in the dying light he saw that he was in the forest. These woods looked familiar but at the same time he knew he hadn't been here in a while.

How did he end up in the forest? He was facing off against Sasuke. And just like that everything came back and he growled; the news of Sasuke defeating Itachi, only for him to be too late to find him. The memory of the death of Jiraiya leading to his training with the earth's chakra only to face off against Sasuke made him sick.

Fat good senjutsu had done him. What good was it when he wasn't willing to use it? The last moments he remembered was going at Sasuke with his rasengan and faltering.

Damn, in the end, he hadn't been able to do it. He couldn't bring himself to force Sasuke back at the cost of his life. That training had gone to waste.

The question that Itachi had asked him all those months ago haunted him now. It seemed like he had his answer after all. He hadn't been able to find a way to save both Sasuke and his village. In the end, he couldn't even save one.

What hurt more was that he hadn't been good enough to save Sasuke.

As his heart clenched painfully, his usually dormant mind reared up and told him to look around and find out why he was in the forest. He rubbed his tears aside, slightly surprised that he was once more crying for that bastard.

Gingerly he stood up, swaying slightly still. He leaned against a tree, probably the one he had fallen from, as he tried to figure out where he was exactly. He took a step but immediately fell forward and clung to the tree as nausea overwhelmed him.

"Whoa," he moaned. His gaze passed over his hands which were clutching the bark in front of him. For a moment he didn't think about it at all; it was just his hands which looked different. He stared harder, focusing his gaze on the back of his fingers. He couldn't quite pin down what the hell was so different about his hands.

A mosquito landed on his left hand and his first thought was, wow, when did mosquitoes get so big here in Konoha?

He slapped the insect away as it prepared itself to suck his blood. In the middle of swatting, he noticed that his hand even felt weird. He took a few moments to swing his hand around. That's when he saw his feet and it clicked.

He panicked and he reached for his face, his hair frantically raking his face and hair in denial. He couldn't stop himself from trying to see everything on his body at once. Several more perusals confirmed it.

He was tiny! No longer the five eight that he had grown, was still growing into, but a mere four something, Naruto did what no self respecting shinobi would admit to doing. He fainted.

He walked through the dark village quietly as he observed what was going on. He had woken up from his faint hours later after the sun had gone down completely. After a quick check to show that yes, he was still short and puny, he made his way to the village to see what the heck had happened. It had taken a little while before he had gotten used to being short again.

Here he was staring at a Konoha that didn't look like it was preparing for war. There weren't any guards on sentry duty patrolling the streets. He concluded that it must have been past three since there weren't any drunks or civilians, ninjas even, stumbling around after a night out.

He headed to the front gates where he remembered, no, knew where he had fought Sasuke. As he approached the gate, there was nothing more than the customary chuunin on duty. They looked at him and told him to go to bed before they went back to their duty.

Sasuke wasn't here. He couldn't feel the Uchiha's chakra, nor anyone else's for that matter. It was as if there hadn't been a major battle here recently. But there was; he knew there was.

Was this an illusion? Had Sasuke somehow caught him in his Sharingan much like how Itachi had? If so then, what was the point of this? Itachi had done it to frighten him but this so far was only confusing him and making him feel nostalgic, hardly a feeling to cause any painful demise.

He decided to play it safe, illusion or not and head home.

Half an hour later he found himself outside his apartment only to find that that it was locked. It sounded like there was someone in there though. He listened closer and confirmed that there was snoring coming from the other side of the door.

Who the hell was in his apartment? Kakashi? No, he would never fall asleep in his place like that. Come to think of it, he'd never seen the older man actually sleep, much less snore that loud.

Wait. He pulled back from his door. If he was kid, or really short, either way, then he wouldn't have gotten his apartment until he started at the academy. This meant that he was still living with that crabby old lady who always hit him every chance she got.

That would explain why he was sleeping in the tree; he always ran away whenever he could. He was always found though and brought back.

Naruto didn't realize he had been backing up until he hit the wall opposite the down and his knees buckled, sending him sliding down onto the dirty floor. He could no longer see the door in front of him; this meant that he was what? Five? Six?

The thought lodged itself into his mind, repeating itself over and over again and before he knew it, his eyes had slid shut on their own accord. He wondered what age Sasuke was right now. That was the last thought that flitted through his mind as he registered vaguely that he just wanted to sleep and wake up to find out that this was just a dream.

"Get out of the way, demon!"

Naruto immediately snapped awake and instinctively blocked the kick aimed for his face. His mind didn't have time to take in the situation; his nerves were tingling from all his body sensors sending him information and overloading his hazy mind.

He gripped the leg and flipped the intruder over. The intruder fell onto their back with a loud thump and a curse. Before they had a chance to get up Naruto was already on their throat. He blinked when his hand was empty. He felt his thigh for his pack but touched nothing but skin.

In his distraction he was heaved off followed by a lot of shouting and yelling. He caught words like monster and demon brat but he wasn't over the thought that he was still in the same hallway despite having fallen asleep. A heavy fist connected with his temple and he was sent fumbling into the wall.

He took no notice except the fact that it hurt. He knew though that genjutsu could cause pain if the mind thought that it was real. So he let the fist connect again, as he centered his mind and tried to tell himself that it wasn't real.

He had taken some lessons on genjutsus from Kakashi. The older man had imparted on him some tricks that he applied now. Genjutsu preyed on a weak mind but if he could tell himself that this wasn't real, he could control the outcome of the illusion.

After several more poundings that his child body couldn't take, he had to conclude that either the user really was powerful. _Sasuke_. Or that this really wasn't a genjutsu as his head throbbed with pain along with his ribs which fell like they were broken or bruised.

With a burst of chakra he shoved the man away and he fled.

Miles away on top of the Hokage Monument, he sat hunched over as he inspected his injuries. His side was swollen from a vicious kick and his face was lumpy from several well aimed punches. Of course they were well aimed; he had sat there like an idiot trying to tell himself that this was an illusion.

He gritted his teeth and stood up. He was going to try and find out just what the hell was really going on here.

The stone before him held names, but these names he didn't know. The latest edition that he had been looking for wasn't there. He remembered the day that they had carved the old pervert's name onto the stone. It was a somber affair and no one had spoken. Thinking about it made his heart clench painfully as he remembered first hearing the news.

He shook his head, no use thinking about that now. He still had to figure out where the hell he was. This was Konoha; there wasn't any doubt about it. There was no way he wouldn't recognize the village that he loved.

His attempts to find out people that he knew hadn't worked out too well. So far all he could conclude from seeing the usual civilians was that he was in a situation much like when he was a child. Technically he was a child so that meant he didn't know anybody yet.

He couldn't knock on Kakashi's door and he hadn't met Sakura yet. The only person he knew at the moment was the old man but that attempt had been futile. The guards had shoved him away and thrown in an extra cuff to his already abused head.

But there was one person that he knew.

He wondered briefly if he had the courage to go and find him. His family was still alive; his brother was still alive. He didn't know how the situation would end up. And frankly, he was just scared.

After that fight, the last thing that he had felt before pain shot through him was the feeling of total dejection and utter failure. Did Sasuke really not want him there? Was he really willing to kill him after all?

This Sasuke, if going with the whole theory that he was in the past for some reason, hadn't tried to kill him.

But he did.

Naruto didn't know if he could face him. He couldn't be sure that if he saw that pale face with dark eyes that he wouldn't punch the other for leaving him even though he hadn't left him.

But he had.

"AHHHH!!" he let out a frustrated cry and fell to his knees in front of the stone memorial. So caught up in his internal struggle he didn't notice the annoyed presence behind him. After a few moments when he still didn't sense the person behind him, they let out an annoyed cough.

Naruto spun around ready to defend himself as he threw an angry glare at the stranger. Said stranger threw his hands up in defense and tossed the angry blond a disarming smile. It seemed he had interrupted somebody else's mourning period. Or vice versa as he always came here this time of the day every day and he had never seen this kid here before.

Come to think of it, the stranger looked at the kid carefully. It was the demon vessel.

"What do you want?" he snarled at the older man. He took in the dark hair and pale skin. _Just like Sasuke_. He noted the vest depicting the status of chuunin or above. The eyes were friendly but they were staring at him nonetheless just like he was.

The man finally answered, "Naruto right?" The blond only glared at him harder and answered with his own question.

"Who are you?" The man didn't seem to take any offense, like he was used to grouchy individuals.

"A friend," he started and took a step forward. Naruto took a wary step back. He didn't have any friends yet at this age. The man kept his gaze but stepped past him to touch the stone.

"…of Hatake Kakashi. A man who sacrificed his life for his comrades in the name of duty for the village," he finished softly as his eyes carefully traced the characters carved into the stone. His fingers traced over them, as if trying to memorize the grooves.

He was no longer looking at the blond and therefore missed the bewildered look that had overcome his entire face and posture.

That was impossible! Kakashi? Forever young, weird and quirky Kakashi? The man who was always there in his own way? No way that he could be…Naruto couldn't finish that thought. What the hell was this? He tore his eyes from the lying man only to see those fingers tracing the unmistakable kanji.

Hatake Kakashi.

"He was a good friend of mine, even if he didn't ever say so or act so until the very end. Who would have guessed that the stuck up bastard would shove me out of the way?" the man continued, unaware of the turmoil that he had just caused in the young boy beside him.

"I want to go back just so I can wring his neck and then yell at him for not saying anything sooner, you know? He should've said or done something sooner so that we could have had more time. And then maybe," he paused, "Just maybe he would still be here."

Those words filtered into Naruto's brain and he looked up at the wistful man.

"My name's Obito, Hatake Obito," he looked down at the kid as he introduced himself finally. He reached down and Naruto didn't have the strength to knock his hand away but all the man did was wipe away his tears.

He blinked and looked down noticing for the first time that he had been crying again; second time in two days. The thought that he was pathetic came to mind but he didn't care.

He didn't care as he continued to cry for a man that had been like a weird uncle almost; for a man that he had yet to meet but knew all too well.

Obito lowered himself and took the kid into his arms as he tried to soothe the crying child. Soon his silent tears turned to sobs and his small, bruised body shook as he took comfort from the stranger.

He couldn't remember the last time he had cried like this.

* * *

A/N:

If this chapter feels stilted, like the flow isn't very smooth; it's intentional (hopefully that's what it's like). Naruto's walking around in a daze for the most part and will continue to do so for a while so expect his POV to be like this. Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

Wrong Again.

Chapter 3

I don't own Naruto.

* * *

He woke up silently much like he had been doing for the past week or so. There was no daylight here in the cells beneath the military police department. Funny that his clan ran the department but he had never seen these cells himself.

He had lost track of the time after eight days. The meals weren't even regular, a method used to keep prisoners disoriented just like now. He recalled attacking and losing. Afterwards he found himself here in this dank cell covered in seals that suppressed his chakra.

His chakra. It was a pitiful amount compared to what he had grown to after all those hellish years with Orochimaru. Seal or no seal, he hadn't even been able to fight back when they came to question him.

The worst was being suspected; that he was an imposter. They had demanded so many times what he had done to the real Sasuke.

Where was he? What did he want? What were his motives? Who hired him?

He had snarled and growled insults at them the first day. After the second day of injections and beatings they had left him alone. He hadn't seen anybody since then. In his haze of pain and truth serums he couldn't be sure what he had told them.

Hell he didn't even remember what they had asked him that second day. His mind recoiled slightly at the pain but mentally he shook himself. He had never really thought that Leaf would be capable of this level of torture. This was nothing compared to what he had endured already though.

Yet, of course Leaf was capable of torture. They had sentenced his clan to death, didn't they? For the sake of the village. Fuck them, his clan was as much a part of the village as were the other ninjas and civilians.

They were very capable.

This brought him back to his current predicament. He knew that Leaf harbored numerous forbidden jutsus, even more than Orochimaru knew maybe. It was still a formidable village despite the countless attempts to bring it down. He had concluded that this most likely wasn't a genjutsu that he was stuck in unless it really was such an elaborate one; one that could go on for days. Even the Mengekyou didn't last that long.

So the only logical thought to follow was that after the final blow with Naruto, he had passed out and had been captured. He was being held prisoner and the interrogation was only meant to dig out information. They were probably debating the date of his execution.

But what was the point in an illusion? And why put him in the past? They could have just as easily gone through with the interrogation without the elaborate jutsu.

So here he was again. This was the kink that just wouldn't iron itself out not matter how he thought about it. The only way that this whole mess would make sense would be if he was in the past. And it would make sense with the first day of questioning; it would also explain the fact of life that he was five or six. Itachi hadn't murdered the clan yet as the police department was still here.

So he was almost six.

Then that would mean he was in the past. For sure. But to accept that would…what? He didn't know. What the hell was he supposed to do? Change everything?

He let out a hallow laugh. _How the fuck am I going to change anything if I'm stuck in this body and in a cell no less_. When his sour amusement faded, he started to think on that note. What else could he do?

So Uchiha Sasuke began planning his escape. He had a chance to make things right whether this was real or not; it was still a chance.

He remembered that day that he had changed the name of his makeshift team to Hawk. The hurt that made him cry for the first time in a long time rekindled inside, burning him raw. How he wished he had known; had remembered what had really gone on that night. How he wished that he hadn't been an ignorant little brat who could only pester his brother about training.

Even after all that he had tried to reach his brother he had still been too weak. He had always been too weak.

His fist shot out and slammed into the concrete wall. He ignored the flare of pain at the torn skin and the broken bones.

He was a kid, but he wasn't a stupid brat anymore. This time, he'd cover that gap that he never had a chance in the last lifetime.

Carefully he ripped off a piece of his tattered shirt and wrapped his hand. This was the last thing he needed. He needed to reign in his temper. On his bloody hand, Sasuke swore that this was going to be the last stupid thing he did.

His hand primitively bandaged, he sat back against the wall and he waited.

He just had to bid his time until he could escape.

* * *

Naruto woke up to the smell of rice and something else. Groggily he sat up and rubbed the sticky residue from his eyes. Opening his eyes he found them to be puffy and swollen. He then remembered that he had been crying at the memorial stone.

He must have fallen asleep. He looked around the room that he was in and found it to be messy and rather lived in. Framed photos lined the walls haphazardly while book shelves as high as the door were stuffed with scrolls and texts that looked like they had seen better days.

He climbed out of the bed, forgetting to adjust for the height difference and ended up stumbling onto his hands and knees. At the commotion the door swung open and a curious head poked in.

"Hey, good morning. Just checking to see that you're still alive," he said good-naturedly. He stepped into the room fully and watched the blond as he picked himself off the floor.

"I made breakfast. I bet you're starving; looks like you hadn't eaten in a while," he spoke up once Naruto was up.

"Bathroom's that way. When you're done, you can eat," he pointed out cheerfully when the kid still didn't say anything. Naruto nodded slightly to show that he heard and then turn and headed toward the bathroom.

Obito scratched his head and just shrugged; the kid would talk when he was ready.

Fifteen minutes later a tired Naruto walked out from the bedroom door. He sat himself down across from the stranger. Obito, that's what he had called himself. But he had also given Kakashi's last name as his own which Naruto knew wasn't possible. Kakashi was an only child.

Not to mention this guy didn't look a thing like his teacher. No crazy silver hair despite the cheerful attitude. Well, even he was too cheerful; Kakashi's cheerful hid a sharp calculating gaze but this guy didn't seem to have that.

"You gonna eat or something?" he asked the kid who hadn't touched his food yet. He had put up with the open staring for as long as he could.

"You said your last name was Hatake," Naruto started off. He couldn't outright accuse the guy of not being related. He didn't know Kakashi yet. _I never will_.

His chest ached at that but he pushed it away.

"Yeah," the man answered in a slightly lilting tone as if to see what Naruto had against it. From that it seemed like being questioned was a rather common thing then. He didn't look a thing like Kakashi. As matter of fact, he looked more like Sasuke than the infamous jounin.

"You look like an Uchiha," he said straight up. Naruto noted the slight tensing of the jaw muscle and the defensive look that came into his eyes. This was a sore subject for the man.

"I'm not an Uchiha," he said evenly as he stared down the annoyingly perceptive brat in front of him, "And how would you know? You don't even know who he was or whether or not we look alike." As soon as he said it, he realized that he was getting his hackles all raised up by a kid. He let out a sigh at the silent boy.

"Look kid, I didn't mean to snap at you. Just drop it okay?" he offered a slight apology.

"Why?" Naruto asked. He had to know. Kakashi had never talked about his team but Naruto had found a photo Kakashi and his team with the Fourth. This man looked like he was a teammate; a teammate that hadn't survived back in his time.

"Why what?" the man asked although he had a feeling what the kid was asking. Naruto just looked at him and asked again.

"Why did you take on his name?" he stared into those dark eyes, so much like another stubborn Uchiha that he knew. He still had to find Sasuke but for now he just needed to know this one thing. No one ever stood against his will for long when he wanted something except for one person. Uchiha or not, this wasn't the person who wouldn't cave to him.

"We were teammates," he started off slowly after a few minutes of silence, "There was a mission to destroy a vital bridge that would cripple Rock. I hated him but I wouldn't let him die. Apparently he thought the same as he chose me over the mission. He shoved me out of the way of the avalanche.

"I owe him my life," he finished almost inaudibly. Naruto exhaled sharply. No wonder Kakashi never talked about him. It must have been the other way around; that's how he had gotten the Sharingan. Now he knew the real reason that Kakashi was so adamant about teamwork.

"I'm sorry," Naruto apologized sincerely. The man looked at him startled, like he had forgotten the blond was there.

"Yeah," he mumbled then his eyes surveyed Naruto critically, "You sound like you knew him." Naruto could only smile slightly at that, slightly nostalgic.

"You could say that I knew someone like him," he answered quietly and the man left it at that.

"Okay, eat up! Then scram, I have a mission later today that I have to get done," he stood up and hesitated. He knew people didn't like the kid. Personally he had never talked to him and only saw him every once in a while. Even then though he saw the way he was treated. It reminded him all too much of himself back in his younger days with no one to defend him. He had stuck out like a sore thumb among his elite cousins and was ridiculed merciless for it.

"Ah, you can come back later whenever you want when I'm done with my mission which should be in a couple of days," he rambled quickly before he threw in a joke, "You can survive for that long right?"

The boy didn't smile at first as he regarded the man to see if he was serious. Then his entire face did a one-eighty and he beamed at the man.

"Of course I can survive for two days by myself! How do you think I'm still here?" he boasted and while Obito grinned back, inside he really did wonder how the kid could still smile like that.

* * *

A/N:

Chapter lengths are going to be like this until more starts happening then they'll increase in length; nothing much else to say about this chapter. Thanks for reading! XD


	4. Chapter 4

Wrong Again.

Chapter 4

Naruto was walking along the main road. He had been discretely searching Konoha, especially by the academy and the playground and even by the lake that was off a ways by the Uchiha compound. Still, no sign of the elusive Sasuke.

He didn't dare approach anyone else and he shied away from Shikamaru and the others when they were at the playground. The only person he talked and interacted with was Obito and that had only been that first time and a couple of days ago. The man was busy and was constantly away on missions.

Naruto only really had his own company and that of the empty apartment. For the past week he had been trying to find Sasuke but had come up empty handed.

Several scenarios came to mind after a while. What if Sasuke had never been born? There were plenty of Uchiha's still walking around so he figured they were still all alive. But there wasn't any signs of the other boy so he might never have…

Naruto shook his head. He couldn't think like that. Just because Kakashi was…dead, it didn't mean that Sasuke hadn't been born either. There was just no way that Sasuke hadn't been born.

Maybe it was time he stopped procrastinating and went and saw the old man Hokage. It was only a matter of time before the old man noticed that he wasn't with his caretaker. The more that Naruto thought about it, the more excited he became to see the Hokage. Three years was long time to miss someone.

He practically bounced his way up to the tower. There was no way that he'd let some stupid guards turn him away this time.

Half an hour later Naruto was sneaking around the corner of the hallway; when the coast was clear, he dashed to the door and opened it quickly but silently and slipped in.

Once inside he closed the door with a loud slam and looked up with his best grin. He had just proven that he still had it in him to be sneaky.

His grin disappeared though at the sight before him. Instead of the red and white Hokage hat there was a mop of blond hair attached to a mumbling, brush holding _person_ who was obviously not the old man.

"You!"

"Hey Naruto, let me finish this first then I'll get to you," the blond thing mumbled around the brush in his mouth. Naruto could only gape at the man. He was sitting there in the flesh, worrying about some inconsequential paper like he hadn't been dead for over fifteen years!

The Fourth swore loudly, forgetting that there was a child in the room when the brush in his mouth fell and splattered onto the document he was reading. As he tried to catch the fallen brush, the one in his hand made an even larger slash across the already ruined scroll.

For once in his life, Naruto was speechless, not because it hurt too much or because Sasuke had managed to one-up him in their banter; he was just in shock. He didn't notice that his mouth was moving erratically, trying to form something to say.

Finally his brain managed to send out a sequence of words that his mouth could process.

"You…You're dead," he gasped out unaware that his words would be taken differently.

Yondaime looked up distractedly from his desk with a frown. His face had ink stains on them and he added even more when he wiped his hair out of his eyes. He needed a trim one of these days.

"I know I've been busy but that's no reason to want me dead you know," the man teased. He set the brush down with a mental sigh at the site of the ruined scroll. His aid was going to give him that _look_ again.

The blond boy didn't even process the teasing, just the fact that he was alive and breathing and _talking_ to him. Suddenly the overload of surprises made itself known and Naruto did the only thing he could think of that might make things better aside from fainting that is.

He took a step back plus another until he felt the door behind him. Grabbing the handle, he eased it open and stuttered out, "I think I have the w-wrong room." And just like that he left as quickly as he had entered.

The Fourth's eyes widened in surprise. That was weird, even for Naruto. What had that boy gotten himself into this time? The thought that the villagers or worse, his ninja had done something to the boy behind his back made him furious. As his anger rose he stood up only to let out a breath in an attempt to calm down.

He had to see the boy first before he could go jumping to conclusions, or worse, jumping people and preferably pounding them into the ground. He went to the door and opened it. He could no longer feel the kid's chakra anywhere but he had half expected the boy to be standing outside waiting to pounce on him for a prank.

Well, the boy was outside in the hallway but he didn't look like he would be doing any pouncing. In fact, it looked like he had seen a ghost.

If Naruto knew what the Fourth was thinking, he couldn't have agreed more with that thought. As it was, he was having trouble just concentrating and breathing and not fainting. He was perilously close and the older man approaching him was not helping.

The Fourth bent down and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder only to have him jerk away with wild eyes.

"Naruto?" he was concerned. _What the hell happened?_ He had never seen the kid like this before, even after some of the first attempts on his life.

"Tell me what's wrong, son," he gently cooed. Unfortunately his attempt only had the kid's eyes widening in disbelief before those blue eyes rolled and the kid fainted.

"Shit!" he caught the limp body that hardly weighed a thing and he swore someone was going to pay. He'd start with that damn caretaker; where the hell was that woman anyway? He roared out to the guards to call over a medic. They scrambled to obey the suddenly furious Hokage.

Rarely did the man ever lose his temper and it only seemed to happen around the little demon brat. But no one dared to say anything lest he turn on them.

He lifted the boy and took him back into his office. He had learned not to take him to the hospital unless Rin was there, and she wasn't and wouldn't be back until later that day.

There wasn't anywhere to place the unconscious boy so he simply sat down in his chair with Naruto in his lap. After what seemed like forever the door opened and a harried medic rushed in with a chuunin guard.

"What's wrong, Hokage-sama?" the man asked as he quickly approached. He had been called in several times for the blond boy and he knew the Fourth had no patience for dawdling.

"He was acting weird-scared actually. Then he just fainted when after I tried to get him to tell me what was wrong," the Fourth rambled out quickly, nervous that he had done something wrong to the boy to incite the bout of fainting.

"Scared of what?" the medic asked calmly for the both of them as he checked the boy's vitals. The talking was more for the older blond who the medic knew hated situations like these.

"Scared of me," Yondaime whispered only loud enough for the medic to hear. At that the medic frowned; that wasn't right. The boy adored the Fourth and would never do that and he told the older blond so.

"I know but," he stopped himself. He wasn't helping the situation and the medic didn't need to act as his psychiatrist.

"How is he?" he asked instead. The medic had pulled back causing the blond to ask.

"He's fine, there's nothing wrong with his physically. But his chakra's a little chaotic; mostly due to a mental occurrence." The diagnosis left much unsaid but the implications were there of what could have happened.

"Nothing that a quick nap won't cure, at least temporarily," the medic offered quickly as he watched the Fourth's face darken. The man seemed to catch himself once again and he nodded.

"Thank you," he gave him his gratitude and the medic waved it off. He dismissed the man and the guard. He didn't let go of the little boy in his arms. Many called him unreasonable for getting so worked up over the kid but he knew that if he had had a son, half this shit wouldn't have happened in the first place.

Some days he would fall into a depression as he regretted placing the burden of the fox demon into the baby boy. Holding the boy now, he could almost pretend that this was his son and that he could make everything right.

Hell, the kid even looked like him! And he shared his love of ramen as well. But he knew he didn't have a son. Any chance of that had fled when he broke Kushina's heart and she had left him.

The child whimpered and he pulled the boy closer as he whispered sweet nothings to soothe him. Naruto quieted down when those warm arms tightened around him. Like a baby in its parent's embrace he slept on.

* * *

In another part of Konoha, a sleeping boy was woken by the sound of his cell door opening. This person was silent unlike the others who had marched in. The door closed as quickly as it had opened and the figure approached him with a bundle in their arms.

Too tired to really care what this person planned to do with him he let them approach. The figure squatted down in front of him; he didn't bother to hide the fact that he was awake.

"Sasuke," the figured murmured brokenly as it hesitated, not sure what to do. He recognized the voice immediately. Who didn't know the voice of their own mother?

He didn't move; despite all his thinking of the past week, whether this was real or not, this was his mother and he was for all intents and purposes, six years old.

"Mom," he choked out with a sob. There weren't any more thoughts as both embraced each other fiercely. Sasuke let himself go and just cried. His mother pulled him onto her lap and hugged him tighter as he sobbed harder. He didn't hear anything that she said other than the fact that she was talking to him and the sound of her voice was enough to ease him.

Soon he was asleep but Mikoto continued to rock him. She hadn't seen her baby boy in over a week. Fugaku had refused to tell her what was going on and finally fed up she had snuck in here to see her boy only to find him looking half dead.

Honestly she didn't care what they said about him and she didn't care that he had hurt her. She knew her boy was hurting and he was confused. Call it maternal instincts but no matter what they said about him being an imposter, she knew her baby.

He needed her and to hell with anyone else. She brushed her fingers through his hair softly, her heart wrenching at the dirty matted strands. Her boys' hairs were so soft and to see them looking like this made her want to cry again. She smoothed his hair down and wrapped her arm around his back again.

She wasn't going to stand aside and let them take this son from her as well. Itachi had been a given being the first born to the head of the clan. That's why she had tried so hard to have a second child.

Finally, seven years after Itachi and her little Sasuke was born. He was a desperate little thing always seeking approval from the two male figureheads in his life. When he got a little bit from Itachi, he had grown so attached. Secretly she had been glad that Fugaku hadn't cared much for Sasuke.

But now that this had happened, whatever _this_ was, there really wasn't any way for her to save her baby boy without bringing the entire clan upon them. She wouldn't be able to live an outcast like that; she would be useless that way, unable to help him.

Yet, there was hope. There was someone who had gone against the clan head on willingly and was still alive and for the most part happy; happier than he had ever been.

Mikoto stopped rocking her child and she stood up, grabbing the blanket at the same time. Carefully so as not to wake him, she wrapped him up and a quick genjutsu made it look like she wasn't holding anyone at all.

She hadn't been a kunoichi for nothing.

A/N:

Yes, she's breaking Sasuke out of prison! Go Sasuke's mom! There are a variety of stories out there with her ranging from a loving, devoted mother to a frivolous ditz. This is the mother that I see her being. And for clarification, Naruto knows who his father is, hence the reason for fainting again but Minato doesn't know that Naruto is his kid. Any questions or comments please let me know! I love hearing from my readers any day XD


	5. Chapter 5

Wrong Again.

Chapter 5

I don't own Naruto.

* * *

"Yo, Minato!" came the loud greeting as the office door opened. A head of spiky black hair poked in followed by a large grin. He would have said more but a quick shushing noise from the blond had him closing his mouth and raising his brow in question.

Then he spotted the blond bundle in his former teacher's lap. Recognition took a few seconds to hit him in the head but by then Minato was already talking.

"Don't talk too loud, Obito," he warned. The younger man rolled his eyes but he whispered anyway back, "He sleeps like the dead, don't worry about it."

"What?" He narrowed his eyes at the non-chalant boy. Immediately seeing the man's reaction he jerked back in disgust and shook his head.

"Not like _that_. Don't think such things. The kid's been crashing at my place for the past week," he hastily explained then added with a shudder, "Geeze, you think I'd do something totally creepy like spy on a kid?"

Appeased, Minato fired back a response to tease the boy, "Oh, that's right. You like soft skin and boobs," he spoke with a teasing leer in his voice. Obito turned bright red and sputtered incoherently, unable to deny the claim but embarrassed nonetheless that he would say it so openly!

In front of a child too for that matter. It didn't matter if he was sleeping or not.

Speaking of the kid, he started to wake up. Instantly Minato's hardened eyes were on him, promising him something unpleasant later for waking up the boy.

"Wha?" he sputtered again, "I didn't…" He didn't finish as Minato wasn't even looking at him anymore but focused on the waking boy. Good grief, the Hokage was acting like a new mother! Of course, don't tell him that he had even thought about saying it. Minato would just prove it by punishing him.

Naruto let out a waking grumble. He stretched around his warm sleeping bed and briefly wondered why his bed was vertical before he yawned and pulled back to get away from whatever was tickling his face. One eye opened automatically to scout his surroundings. It was really comfortable and all he wanted to do was snuggle up against his vertical bed and go back to sleep but his stubborn eye stayed open as it had seen something.

He stared at the white cloth in front of his face and half listened to the heart beat coming from his bed. Ever so slowly did he come to realize what the white cloth, which his brain finally processed to be a coat, and the heart beat meant.

_Oh crap._ His mind raced a mile a minute to try to remember how he had ended up here in the first place. Despite his racing mind, his body stayed lethargic and uncooperative, especially when he demanded it to move away from the man. He only managed a slow blink of an eye when he finally remembered that he had fainted. Again.

He pulled his head back and looked up at the face peering down softly at him. _It really was him._ The Fourth was looking down at him with a gentle smile on his face. Naruto could only stare back in awe. The warmth of feelings that flooded his heart and mind were more than words could describe.

_Father._ Was it really him? If this was a genjutsu after all, he was totally screwed. But if it wasn't then, what did he have to lose by giving in?

He let out a tiny smile and let out a breath that he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

However the look of surprise on the Fourth's face made that smile vanish. Had he called him father out loud? From the looks of it, he did and the Fourth wasn't taking it too well.

The man had gone white and his hold had slackened immensely. Before he could say anything though Naruto shoved himself off the older blonde's lap and ran. He didn't know where he was going to go but he wouldn't be able to stand rejection. He already got it enough from one person.

He hadn't even made it to the door this time before he was scooped off his feet by Obito. The pale man held on tight to the squirming boy knowing that he couldn't let him go like that. Obito knew about Minato's parental instincts toward the boy and to have been called father like that was a shock.

It wasn't a bad one but it was still shock. One that he should be getting over anytime now.

Like he said, anytime now.

He struggled to hold the six year old without hurting him while he waited for the Fourth to snap out of his stupor.

"Sensei!" impatient that the man was just standing there while he was getting attacked by the kid, he yelled at the man to do something. Minato blinked and sprung into action.

"Naruto!" he made a grab for the boy and dodged several kicks as he wrapped his arms around the little boy once more. He hadn't quite been able to dodge the frantic swipe of tiny arms though. He talked quietly in a low voice to try and calm the boy down.

Holding on tight and refusing to let go, he managed to turn Naruto around without dropping him. Immediately instead of fighting the boy clung to him tightly sobbing dad over and over again. Both clung to each other fiercely.

Later Naruto would say that this behavior stemmed from years of being alone and the fact that he really was no more than a child. With the body and mind of a kid, he finally gave in.

* * *

His eyes were bleary and puffy when he woke up to the sound of humming. Disoriented and not at all sure where he was, he tensed as he took in his surroundings. The room was messy and full of bookshelves crammed with scrolls and other knick-knacks. Some random part of his mind wanted to look and see if there actually was anything useful there.

There were lots of photos on the wall; some looked like they were about to fall off the wall soon. He didn't see anyone that he recognized from the photos from the wall. One particular picture though stood out amongst the rest.

Unlike the others, this one was well framed and it hung on the wall solemnly like someone constantly straightened it every day. There were four figures in the photo yet it was the pose that drew his attention in the first place; a taller man in the back with three little brats up front.

It looked so much like his own photo of his old team.

After a closer look, the silver hair belonged not to an old man but a youth. There was only one person that Sasuke knew had hair that stuck out like that.

Kakashi.

Was this his place then? If so, how did he get here? Since he was six that would make Kakashi only seventeen or so; not so much older than he had once been.

How had he gotten here? Memories came back slowly and once he remembered his mother, the rest hit him hard. The realization that his mother had broke him out of jail made his heart ache with happiness and guilt.

Where was she now?

Sasuke's thoughts were cut short as the humming stopped and footsteps approached the door to the room. He braced himself for the sight of a young Kakashi. Slightly terrified he clenched his fist; he had no idea what to expect.

The door opened and Sasuke jerked in surprise. The man grinned at the boy's reaction. Whoever he was expecting he sure hadn't been the one.

"Hey, you're finally awake," he commented cheerfully, "About time too; you've been out for a day now."

Sasuke gaped; this wasn't Kakashi. He had been quite sure that it would be him.

He was strangely disappointed.

He hadn't seen the man since he had been lectured by him all those years ago.

"I bet you're wondering how you got here, right?" he asked the boy, wanting to get that strange look out of his eyes. Geeze, what's up with all these serious kids these days?

The only answer he received was narrowed eyes and a short nod.

"Well, your mom brought you here, spouting some stuff about you acting weird and getting locked up. Now from the impression I got, you're suppose to stay out of sight for a while until things cool down or something like that," he rattled offhandedly.

Things fell into place in Sasuke's mind after that vague explanation. So his mom had freed him. But that left the question of who this guy was. He couldn't recall this man from his memories at all.

"Who are you?"

"Me? I suppose you wouldn't recognize me, would you? You were just a tiny little squalling thing when I left the clan. I'm Obito, your disowned cousin now known as Hatake Obito," he grinned at his own introduction.

Sasuke eyes widened again; this was his cousin? And he had been disowned? No one went against the clan and certainly no one _left_ the clan on their own free will. Well, his mother had just done the first and apparently this guy had done the latter.

But what surprised him more was the surname he had taken on. Hatake. Hatake Kakashi. That was more than coincidence that his last name was the same as his former mentor. What right did this man have to take the name of the infamous shinobi?

He opened his mouth to demand an explanation only to shut it and blush when his stomach let out a deep rumble. To his irritation and embarrassment the man laughed out loud. The sound was grating and loud to his ears, much like Naruto's cackle when he had just pulled off a prank. It made him think of Naruto and the fact that he still didn't know what had happened to him.

An accurately thrown pillow smacked the man in the face, effectively shutting him up for a second before he squawked indignantly and muttered something about stupid brats under his breath. He was still grinning though.

"Alright, you're hungry and I've got some food. Man, are you guys trying to eat me out of my home? First Naruto and now you," he ranted. Sasuke's attention was instantly captured at the mention of Naruto. With an anxious glare he asked about Naruto.

"Eh? Naruto? You know that kid?" he eyed the younger Uchiha suddenly in a new light. Any Uchiha who would know the name of the demon brat was someone to pay attention to.

His mind raced and he calculated the results of the words he could say. His mother obviously trusted this man; his cousin. And the fact that he knew Naruto and that Naruto was here or had been here made it seem to him like he could trust him as well.

He thought about shrugging it off like he really didn't care but his vow came back to the forefront of his mind. Now it was only a matter of opinion; if his next words were going to break that vow or not.

"He's a…friend…" he murmured quietly as he watched the man consider his words carefully. It wasn't a lie. Despite all that had happened, which hadn't happened, he still considered Naruto the person closest to him. The one person he trusted most.

"Well ain't that something. Looks like I've got another trouble maker in my hands," the man grinned, "Yeah, the brat stops by here every once in a while and eats a shitload of ramen. He doesn't stay with me though thank God; I'd really be out of food then. The kid's a bottomless stomach, you know?"

"Yeah," Sasuke agreed unaware that he had a slight smile in his eyes as he remembered the times that they had gone to that ramen stand. Obito stared at him for a moment before he pulled the kid back to the present.

"Food's this way. And if you want, I can see if I can lure him here so you can have some company," Obito suggested to which Sasuke nodded. He slowly got out of the bed discretely trying to stretch his weak muscles.

He grimaced at his skinny limbs, hating the feeling of weakness in his legs as he stood up. The bruises were fading but he was damn sore. It took a lot for him to suppress the groan of pain at taking his first steps.

All he wanted to do was crawl back onto the bed, screw eating, he hurt so bad. It was only the thought that the sooner he got better, which came with eating, the sooner he could see Naruto.

With the thought of the blond in mind, he determinedly made his way out of the room and into the kitchen. He'd eat something even if he had to force it down. If the man noticed his discomfort he didn't say anything and for that he was grateful.

Obito watched the boy struggle out of the bed and inch out of the room. He knew how it felt to struggle both physically and mentally. Had he still been an immature brat he would have said something but he took a page out of Kakashi's book, like he tried to do every day, and stayed silent knowing that sometimes words were meaningless despite the best of intentions.

* * *

A/N:

Just to clarify in case anyone was wondering and trying to piece the times together and coming up uneven; the different perspectives aren't necessarily at the same time. One could be from a week ago or mere seconds. I tried to think of a good way to explain it but ended up deleting everything that I came up with. Hopefully you get the idea. Thanks for reading!

Next time they finally meet!


	6. Chapter 6

Wrong Again

Chapter 6

And…here's chapter 6, finally! Sorry for the wait guys, I've just been really not inspired at all to write anything. This chapter was deleted and re-written from a blank sheet because I didn't like the way Naruto and Sasuke met. This is slightly better than the first draft but still not up to par. Please read on anyways!

* * *

"So what does it look like? Is it orange?" Naruto asked excitedly on the way to Obito's apartment. The older man had picked him up from the Hokage tower where he had been spending time with his father for the past few days. He had fallen easily into the routine of son and father with Obito acting as an uncle.

He hadn't seen the loud funny man since the day before. The man's excuse had been that he had gotten lost and came across a stray that he just had to pick up; hence the day's delay at seeing his favorite brat. Naruto had protested loudly that he was lying and the antics began from there until Minato threw them out for being too loud.

"Don't get into any trouble!" he yelled after them before the door closed. Obito snorted something along the lines of 'course we won't'. Naruto promptly began asking questions as to how the stray looked like and what it was.

"No, it's not orange…it's got black…hair," he didn't exactly want to call the little brat a fur ball despite its feisty attitude. The kid had eaten regularly and was gaining some weight but his demeanor was distant and aloof. Any time that he had tried to loosen the kid up had ended with silence and a glare. The boy was only six yet he had already perfected the trademark Uchiha glare. He must have gotten it from his father because Itachi sure as hell didn't glare like that.

Speaking of that weasel, he should be coming back sometime tonight. He'd have to remind himself to stop by and get some information from him about what the hell was going on. Just because he wasn't part of the clan anymore didn't mean he couldn't stick his nose in their business.

"Black hair? Isn't it a cat?" Naruto's face scrunched up in confusion, "What the hell did you pick up?" His words brought Obito back to his situation.

"Watch your mouth kid! Your dad's gonna fry me alive if he even thinks that you get your language from me," he chastised but continued, "It's not a cat."

"What is it then? Can I play with it? You said that I could play with it!" Naruto blabbered on. This was so much fun pestering Obito. Not only could he say whatever he wanted, he was a kid and he could damn well act like one! Of course, his choice of vocabulary could be more innocent but Obito got the heat on that and it was hilarious watching his dad loom over the other cowering man. He never thought he had a sadistic streak in him but apparently he did.

"You'll see when we get there, jeeze!" he mumbled. It was another four blocks to his apartment and while he didn't mind Naruto at all, he needed to get this over with so he could go corner the stray's brother.

"Come on Naruto," he bent over and scooped the boy up onto his back. Several people glanced at them, some with distaste, others just curious; they had gotten used to the Uchiha black sheep hanging out with the demon brat. He sped off with Naruto screaming and laughing happily on his back.

"I beat you!" Naruto shouted as he threw open the door. Obito had indeed been beaten as he came up the stairs with a scowl. The kid had tricked him and sent him running all over the freaking village. How all this had happened in three blocks he wasn't sure but it sure as hell wasn't going to happen again! It had started off with a boast from Naruto that he could outrun the man. Obito was never one to turn down a challenge and the race was on.

"No fair!" He was so not going to argue with a kid. Then again, who said he couldn't? "You lied!" Naruto rolled his eyes but the huge grin on his face couldn't be denied as he jumped through the door way and slammed the door shut in Obito's face.

He laughed loudly and obnoxiously as he stepped back and turned right into something.

* * *

The insults and loud shouting were getting closer. It sounded like it was right outside the door. But what was more was that it sounded really familiar.

"I beat you!" and the door flew open nearly knocking his face off. He would have stepped out of the way but the sight before him froze him.

In front of him in the flesh including that ugly orange jumpsuit, was none other than Naruto.

Naruto.

The other boy was grinning and laughing, completely unaware of his frozen presence behind him. He had been waiting for the blond to show up but to actually have him there came as a shock. He couldn't bring himself to say that simple word that longed to bust from him that would confirm that this really was Naruto.

He was moving now, Obito had said something but whatever he said had gone in one ear and out the other. His attention was focused only on the boy before him. The blond laughed and slammed the door shut only to turn and slam into him.

Instinct took over as Naruto jumped back and reached for a pouch that wasn't there. He had jumped back as well but his hands stayed clenched at his sides.

"Who the hell?!" Naruto exclaimed in surprise but immediately went silent and slack as recognition settled in. His blue eyes rounded in surprise and disbelief as his jaw slackened with inability to form words.

He couldn't say that he wasn't doing the same thing but seeing his friend in person was something else. The fight came back to him full force and he fought not to bend down with the weight of his actions. His left arm could still feel the blood and gore from that amplified chidori.

Naruto was having difficulty breathing. There he stood in front of him alive and in one piece. The first thought that bombarded him was that Sasuke really was alive. Fate and chance hadn't killed him in this time like it did with Kakashi.

He looked different from the last time he had saw him. Younger obviously but he lacked that aged appearance that vengeance had given him. There wasn't anything dark looming over him that he could see.

The next thought was that he was here in Obito's apartment. For some reason that thought was prominent and it forced it's way to the front of his mind.

"Sasuke?" he asked tentatively, afraid that if this was genjutsu, hoping that it wasn't, he didn't want it to disappear.

Having Naruto call his name pulled him back from that devastating act. He saw now the young Naruto before him and not the young man that he had become, could become because of him. Like a switch his brain started to function again and he could talk.

That one word burst from his lips with the calm of an Uchiha.

"Dobe."

Just like that, Naruto's face went from shock to disbelief to instant offense.

"Teme! Don't call me that!" and he lunged at the pale boy. The wrestled and fought, laughed and cried until they had no more energy to move. Only when they were both lying still on the floor catching their breath that they felt the drying tears on their faces.

Each tried discretely to wipe them off even as they eyed each other. Naruto broke into a smile first which Sasuke slowly followed. It was good to see the other again. Neither questioned why they acted the way they did. Too overwhelmed just to see each other they forgot that they're not suppose to know each other at all. They sat there not moving, simply staring until Naruto's gaze darted to Sasuke's mussed up hair.

"Your hair's black," he said puzzled. Wondering if he was onto something Sasuke gave a slow nod.

"You're the stray!!" Naruto pointed a finger at Sasuke in accusation while the young Uchiha looked back incredulously.

"Idiot!" he scolded, "What the hell are you talking about?" Naruto immediately dropped from his epiphany of finally figuring Obito out. Sasuke rolled his eyes; to think that he had been about to take the blond seriously for once.

Outside the window Obito rolled his eyes as well. Had he ever been that dumb as a kid? Minato would probably say so. He shook it off and leapt away. They were getting along; hell, it looked like they were best friends and hadn't seen each other in years! He'd ask Itachi about that as well. He didn't think Sasuke had ever left the village compound yet, nor was Naruto ever let in to the best of his knowledge.

Maybe there really was something to the Uchiha's drastic actions.

A week had gone by since they had been reunited. The two had chosen to simply enjoy their childhood like they never had the chance to before and not bring up their past circumstances. Despite the unknown and unspoken choices they each decided that some things couldn't be left up to chance.

Sasuke debated if he should tell Naruto about himself. The blond hadn't asked him once why he wasn't with his family. He hadn't asked Naruto about his family either so the shock of seeing the Fourth come strolling into the room and having Naruto run up to him calling him 'dad' nearly did him in.

That was just the way it was; one surprise after another. His mom had sent him a letter the other day saying that he should still stay put and that she loved him and missed him. Even with everything happening and not happening, there was still Naruto, the only constant.

They stayed together like glue and where one was, the other could be found. If they wanted to go out, Obito had to disguise Sasuke. The man had too much fun trying different things on the boy much to his chagrin. It didn't help that Naruto's ideas were worse. He wanted to dress Sasuke up as girl!

A punch to the face was his answer to that. Naruto complained as Obito went about getting the original disguise in place.

With the disguise in place they had gone to visit Minato in the tower. The Hokage had taken a look at the boy with his son and greeted him with open arms. A hug and a hair ruffle later, the two were back to messing around.

Minato confided quietly to Obito that the disguise may have worked once so long as he was with Naruto but sharper eyes would soon see through it.

"I've got a solution but I'll do it later tonight," Minato spoke quietly. Obito nodded and glanced at the two who were now wrestling around on the floor. Sasuke had managed to get the upper hand but sneaky Naruto had slipped his arms past Sasuke's and started tickling him.

A forced peal of laughter escaped before Sasuke gritted his teeth and began his counter attack as best he could while trying to get away from Naruto at the same time. It was Naruto who conceded defeat but only after they were a breathless heap on the floor.

Minato smiled and shook his head fondly at the two's antics. According to Obito, they had never met before; he'd gotten this from Itachi himself. Yet here they were just like brothers, like they've known each other all their life.

His own investigations into the case of Sasuke being a fraud were stinted. The clan had yet to come to him regarding their missing member so any digging from his side would only lead them straight to Sasuke. If he was Sasuke that is.

At the moment there wasn't any reason to doubt him. He acted like a child but most of all, he made Naruto happy and no one was going to change that. Obito was poking around but there wasn't much to go by at this point. They'd have to wait and see; even Itachi hadn't been allowed in the interrogation room while the boy had been imprisoned.

Obito hadn't asked Sasuke but his mother had implied that he probably wouldn't know himself. Maybe she knew something and wasn't saying anything to protect her son. You could never tell with a woman with something to lose.

With no reason to act just yet, Minato continued to watch his son with his friend. Looking at that blond hair and blue eyes there wasn't any doubt about the resemblance to him but as far as he knew, he didn't have a son. Naruto had been picked from the hospital; the medic had promised him that it was an orphan. He wasn't able to ask any parent to sacrifice their child for such a thing.

His thoughts wandered to Kushina and what they had had before everything fell apart. Naruto sure did have her spirit and her streak for pranks. He imagined that this would be their son if she had still been alive and he had made it up to her for being a stupid idiot.

Her free spirit had been wild and she hadn't given a damn as to what people thought of her. Being born to happy parents had only made the lost keener when most of the Whirlpool shinobi had been wiped out. She grew up in harsh conditions but she did like to whine somewhat harmlessly though.

She had been a tough kunoichi, one of the best that he had ever had the privilege of meeting. Times had been rough; he was still new at being Hokage and he had just lost Kakashi as well; his prized pupil. He had been lost in his own grief while he struggled to maintain order with a certain faction causing him to push her away.

He never saw her after that. When he finally did remember it was only to hear her name listed with the rest of the dead when Kyuubi attacked. There was just so much going on but he regretted not shoving papers down someone's throat and punching somebody else aside so that he could go after her. He probably would always regret it.

In the mean time Obito stood by quietly. Minato hadn't responded to his inquiry; he saw that his former teacher had turned inward and was now lost among his memories. Judging by the look on his face and the fact that he was staring at Naruto Obito could guess who he was thinking about.

He liked Kushina. She was always up for a prank with him and they always went against Kakashi. More often than not they lost but they sure did have a lot of fun. He liked to believe that even Kakashi had a little bit of fun too. Now there was one soul that he didn't save in time.

Held to a dead family honor, he had never realized why Kakashi was the way he was until after his death. Everyone had their regrets but he just wished like everyone else that he could have seen underneath the cold stares and the dislike of physical touch. What he had taken for arrogance was simply the only way the other had known to act with others not his teacher.

He had been envious once, he still was actually, of how relaxed and open Kakashi had been with Minato. It had always made his cold demeanor more pronounced when he had tried to do the same only to be rebuffed. Maybe if he had kept trying, it would have made a difference and they wouldn't have been fighting with each other and…

He blinked when an object flew toward his face. He dodged at the last second much like Minato. The two unsupervised boys were grinning as they prepared to throw their other sandals at the adults. Pretty soon the office was turned into a chaotic chase as the nimble kids darted and raced around each other to get away from certain punishment.

Those outside who could hear the shouting and the laughter either rolled their eyes or smiled along, long used to this kind of activity from their Hokage when Naruto was around.

The days passed suspiciously without word from the Uchiha clan yet with no incidents, Naruto and Sasuke began to forget about what had happened that hadn't happened but could still happen. It wasn't until a day where a series of underhanded schemes came to blossom that they were forcibly reminded that this wasn't how things had been for them.

* * *

A/N:

Well, that was a cheesy ending to the chapter, but I wanted to show that they're forgetting their older selves and I also wanted to introduce a little bit of Kushina and Kakashi. Yes they are dead and they're not coming back to life but there's more to their stories that I'll get to later when the whole plot is revealed to Naruto and Sasuke. And let me clarify, the story's not over; this is just a time skip. I just didn't want to write them as they grow up; the story would drone on and on.

Anyway, thanks for reading, if I missed explaining something let me know.


	7. Chapter 7

Wrong Again

Chapter 7

Hey, I felt bad for going on forever without an update so here's chapter 7 nice and fast, but it's the first draft so this chapter may be edited and reposted. I'm looking for some feedback on this chapter so please let me know what you think!

Anyway, read on!

* * *

"That is all, Hokage-sama."

"Thank you Hawk," Minato replied with his fingers interlocked underneath his chin while he contemplated his next decision. The Uchiha clan had for the past year been exceptionally quiet. Ever since he had taken Sasuke under his wing, he hadn't heard more than a peep politically from them which in itself was odd. The clan was always barging into council business and demanding this and that with their arrogant attitudes.

Fugaku and he were not on friendly terms especially due to the difference in opinion regarding Obito. Yet so far the man had managed to be civil to him the rare times that their paths crossed. ANBU reports contained little information regarding the clan actions as their meetings were held in secret with warded walls.

It wasn't until two month ago that Uchiha Itachi had been inducted into ANBU. The boy had just recently taken over Toru's captain position of one of the squads. It was a big deal, especially when the boy was no more than thirteen going on fourteen.

To think, had Kakashi still been alive he would have been, well, as his former teacher, he would have never let Kakashi join ANBU.

But that was beside the point. Itachi, despite his Uchiha upbringing, loved his little brother. Obito hadn't managed to keep the knowledge that Sasuke was staying with him secret from the other boy.

Fugaku had advised his oldest son to relate ANBU activities to the clan while he was to do the same for Minato. Only once had Itachi joined ANBU had he finally been allowed into the clan meetings. According to his information though, the meetings were more of an announcement than any actual debate. The elder members with more power and influence made the decisions elsewhere and shared with the others at these weekly meetings.

The most Itachi could do was report what was said. Now that they were planning on making their move, it was time for him to make his. He summoned the four captains of the individual offensive squads. As they all lined up and bowed before him he relayed his plan to them.

With an entire clan of shinobi as powerful as the Uchiha, a good majority of them wielding the sharingan, it would be impossible to completely stop a full out coup de tat. With that in mind, Minato and several other members of the council had decided that their best chance was to strike before they could.

As the four captains departed to relay the plan, he frowned in deep thought. The decision hadn't been an easy one but it would spare the most lives. Theoretically no lives would be lost if no one put up a fight. He had his reason to believe though that there would be no avoiding that tonight.

It was a beautiful night; dark with no moon yet the stars still shone as if they hadn't completely abandoned the world. Yet who they shone for was anyone's guess. He turned and looked out the window. Even now Naruto and Sasuke were asleep in bed. If everything went according to plan, they wouldn't be disturbed tonight.

Sasuke for the most part had been an oblivious child, much like Naruto. Yet every now and then Minato or Obito would catch him with more than childish intelligence in those dark eyes. He had been especially observant when they were talking about the Uchiha clan. As such, he had seen to it that the two boys were not in the room whenever anything regarding the clan was mentioned.

With thoughts of countering the coup on his mind along with his other load of daily duties, he hadn't been able to fully look into the issue of the boy. If he was an imposter, a year was a long time to bid one's time when in the form of a child. Not to mention Naruto was with the boy practically every hour of the day; who could hold a jutsu for that long was beyond him.

Despite the small naggings of suspicion, he had put if off day after day simply because every time he thought about taking Sasuke away he would hear Naruto's laughter. He would not be the one to cause misery to his little boy, not if he could help it.

The door opened with one knock and Obito walked in.

"We're ready," he said quietly. His eyes were solemn; despite his dislike of the clan, he wasn't looking forward to this. Minato had offered him the option of opting out of the mission yet he had adamantly refused and responded that he had to be there.

"Alright," the blond responded and he stood up. He hadn't been in actual fight for quite some time but he was by no means rusty. Rarely did he ever wear his white coat into battle but tonight was a night for it. The coat was a hassle the way it fluttered around him but tonight it would stand for his position as Hokage and his duty to do what was best for the village.

"Let's go," he spoke his voice low but strong. They met each other's eyes and in a swirl of leaves they disappeared.

* * *

"AAaaaaaaaggghhhh!" the scream pierced the night followed by several other screams seemingly from different parts of the compound. Obito froze in place as he was about to move out of the shadows of the room he had snuck into. Minato-sama hadn't given the signal yet. Had someone gotten caught? Obito wondered but his time was brief as his target was startled awake and made an automatic grab for his kunai.

He launched himself at the semi conscious man and disarmed him with a sharp twist of his wrist. A hard blow to the man's temple stopped his struggling immediately. Obito dropped the man and left the room. As he made his way out the front he could make out the distinctive sounds of fighting.

What the hell had gone wrong? He heard more screams and he jumped to the roof. Across the compound he saw a flash of white. Minato looked like he was in hot pursuit of someone. Another quick glance around showed other ANBU fighting and trying to detain the Uchihas.

It looked like they could handle themselves so he made his way over the rooftops to catch up to the Hokage. Several roof tops later he lost sight of the white coat and stopped. Two streets over though he froze when he heard Minato's voice.

Obito jumped over quickly and moments later landed beside the Yondaime. He eyed the dark figure opposite them with a critical eye. The man wasn't masked yet Obito didn't recognize him. He had the features of an Uchiha though, the pale skin and black hair. In the shadow of his hair, he could make out the red glow of the activated sharingan.

The man lifted his face and merely smiled at the intrusion. He took a step back, the other two tensed in preparation to defend or give chase.

"Ah, Yondaime, how inconvenient. You should have died long ago. Those arrogant fools couldn't even pull that off," he taunted amusedly.

"What are you talking about? Who are you?" Obito snarled. The man just laughed and he casually lifted his bloodied katana. Minato glanced at the blade briefly but returned his gaze to the man's chin. The unknown man took another step back.

"Unfortunately I don't have time for you at the moment. Why don't you move along, after all, I am doing the village a favor tonight," with that he disappeared before their eyes. Obito jerked his head around looking for the mysterious man. Minato stood still as he concentrated on tracking down that chakra signature. It astounded him though how he seemed to be in multiple places at once.

It was impossible. Aside from his Hirashin, he knew of no other technique that could transport someone around with that much speed. Yet the man had vanished before just as fast. However he was doing it, the man was out to kill the Uchiha clan and Minato had to stop him.

* * *

Sasuke woke up with a start. In his mind he could hear the screams and see the blood splatters along the floor and the walls. It was the Uchiha massacre all over again; albeit this time it was just a memory. He let out a breath and inhaled once more slowly. A snore to his left had him turning to face the sleeping moron in the bed a few feet away from him.

Naruto slept on oblivious to the world. Most days Sasuke wished he would stay just like that. Hell, he wished half the shit never happened to Naruto or him for that matter. However, lately he had been listening for news regarding his clan. The time for the massacre had long gone and passed with not so much as a sign as to it happening any time soon.

It didn't help that the Yondaime had caught him listening too intently and no longer mentioned anything about it. He hadn't seen Itachi in over a month either since his new promotion to captain. With the powerful Fourth in charge, Sasuke wondered if the massacre would happen. Having been living with the man for the past year now with Naruto as well, he had deduced that the man wasn't easily influenced by political means and probably wouldn't make the same decision the Third had made all those years ago that had changed his life forever.

Minato was astute and keener than his easy going demeanor let on. Sasuke had caught himself more than a few times over the years making mistakes and acting un-childlike. The man hadn't said anything yet.

He was brought out of his wonderings when Naruto groaned and squirmed. The blond mumbled something unintelligible but Sasuke felt his chakra spike suddenly. It wasn't huge and wouldn't have been worth any investigation hadn't he recognize the chakra that was mixed in with Naruto's chakra.

It was Kyuubi.

He could never forget that red burning source of energy ever since he saw into Naruto's mind and witnessed the downplayed might of the caged fox. Cautious about what was going on he tried to wake the other boy by calling his name.

"Naruto, Naruto!" still the blond didn't wake; he kept murmuring and the frown on his face grew darker.

Sasuke climbed out of his bed and carefully shook the blonde's shoulder still calling his name.

"No! You can't!" Naruto growled and struggled faintly. Sasuke shook him a little harder but short of slapping him or dumping him on the ground, Naruto was not waking up. He didn't even think twice about leaving him alone to his nightmare.

"Naruto, wake up!" he called out louder.

Eyes snapped open and red gleamed up at the startled boy. Completely taken back Sasuke could only stare down at the slitted eyes and the expression of hate on the blonde's face.

"Uchiha," it growled a moment before it leaped at Sasuke and pinned him to the floor. Red chakra was starting to seep from Naruto and Sasuke struggled to throw the other boy off him. The red chakra burned and he tried adamantly to summon what little chakra he had to fend off the possessed boy.

"Naruto! Wake up!" he shouted. Claws ripped into his tender flesh and pain tore through his shoulder as the other bit him hard. Sasuke struggled helplessly but to no avail.

The Kyuubi-possessed Naruto jerked his head back suddenly as if yanked. He howled loudly and snarled down at Sasuke once more before in a giant leap, crashed out the window and into the night. Sasuke scrambled up fast as he could and ran to the window. The only sign he saw of Naruto was the red glow of chakra fading away over the rooftops.

"Naruto!" he shouted then gritted his teeth. He had to get the Yondaime. Pulling back he dashed out of their room and slammed into the older man's room across the hall only to find it empty. Where the hell was he?! Sasuke scrambled back to his room and launched himself out the window as well automatically using chakra to leap from roof top to roof top.

It wasn't long before he realized that Naruto was heading for his clan's compound. The closer he got the more dread he felt. He could now hear the sounds of fighting and screaming. A child was crying for her mother while chaos reigned.

Right in the middle Naruto stood on a pole and let out an inhuman cry. The sound pierced everyone's concentration, dragging their attention to the small boy with the burning red chakra.

"UCHIHA!!" the rough hallowed voice of Kyuubi combined with Naruto's higher pitched one was eerie and ominous. Silence reigned for the breathless moment after the cry before everyone sprung into action. Those that had lived through the horror of Kyuubi before scrambled and fled, dragging along others in their way.

Sasuke knew exactly which Uchiha had Kyuubi riled up; he couldn't believe that he had forgotten that Madara had been here that-this night as well.

* * *

"Naruto!" Obito had looked up just like everyone else only to see the little boy taken over by the fox demon. He had lost sight of Minato again but now saw him racing toward his son; he prayed that the Hokage could get to the kid before anything happened.

"Show yourself!" Kyuubi roared; his red eyes swept the compound looking for that one man. His hatred for the man was strong enough to traverse time itself. Now that he had a chance he would take it. Red chakra began to leak out heavily. A large blob formed one tail and more quickly amassed and created the second.

"Naruto!" Minato stopped a building short of his boy; any closer and he could be attacked as well. It was easier to forget the results of his decision some days when all he can see and hear is the boy laughing, but like this, vulnerable and being used by the thing that is meant to protect him; Minato's heart clenched painfully.

His little boy is staring at him with foreign eyes of hate, a look that he has never seen before; it doesn't belong to him at all. He wants nothing more than to hug his little boy and hold him close; tell him that everything will be okay because he can make it okay.

"Wake up, son, it's me," he pleaded earnestly hoping that the boy could hear him and do something about it. The only response to his plea was a harsh laugh.

"That brat isn't strong enough yet to fight me," he hissed, "Where is that man? Uchiha Madara! I want to kill you slowly and slice you up and eat you alive for what you've done!" Kyuubi jumped from the pole and landed hard on the roof of the next building causing tiles and part of the roof to collapse. The demon jumped away before he would have fallen through as well.

"Naruto!" Minato called out as he gave chase. Several ANBU tried to stop the fox but with a whip of red chakra, two were sent flying with scorch marks on their uniforms and armor. A blast of chakra from his mouth sent the last one dodging into the air only to be caught by a chakra claw and slammed into the ground. The sickening sound of breaking ribs could be heard along with the gurgle of blood and air from the person's mouth as he went limp.

Three kunai flew toward the demon but they were knocked aside by the red chakra. In a flash Minato was there; he threw a punch which landed and knocked Kyuubi back a pace but Minato teleported before the clawed hand could grab him.

"Stand back!" he ordered before teleporting forward once more. The surrounding ninja reluctantly stood back unable to help out.

For a several moves this went on until the Fourth pulled back and panted from the burns that he suffered. Kyuubi wasn't any worse for wear. He'd have to think of something fast, yet how do you seal a demon that's already technically sealed away?

"Naruto!" a small voice called out. Too busy trying to find a way to stop Kyuubi Minato hadn't noticed little Sasuke creeping closer and closer. He didn't know how the boy had gotten there but one quick glance at the kid showed that he was already wounded.

The boy was clutching his bleeding shoulder and despite the pain he must have been feeling, there was no expression on his face. But standing there in the dark and looking so tiny, it astounded Minato when the demon turned to him and growled.

"Dobe, what the hell are you doing?" Sasuke proceeded to ask in a dead voice. Kyuubi snarled and leapt at Sasuke. Minato jumped over and snatched the boy out of the way. Was the kid crazy? The boy struggled out of his arms expertly and dropped back onto the ground. The Fourth made a grab for him but he darted forward and headed straight for the demon.

"Are you that weak?" he taunted the blond boy, seemingly oblivious to the danger heading his way.

"Sasuke! Get the hell out of here!" the Fourth yelled as he made another close rescue before that red claw would slash the boy to ribbons. The swipe of the red claw tore chunks off the nearby wall as Kyuubi charged yet again intent on killing Sasuke.

"Hokage-sama!" Obito called out as he darted to his teacher's side. Minato threw the fighting Sasuke into the other man's arms and shoved him back.

"Get him out of here!" he ordered and rushed forward to meet an oncoming claw with a Rasengan. Obito darted off to the edge of the compound with a struggling boy in tow.

* * *

He yelled at his cousin to let him go but the man ignored him as he kept going, further and further away from Naruto. Damn it! He could snap the idiot out of it they just had to give him the chance! Outside the compound Obito practically threw the boy on the ground and with a harsh order to stay put he raced back inside unwilling to let his teacher face off against that demon alone again.

As soon as Obito was turned Sasuke began making his way back. If there was a time for his sharingan to activate it would be now. Of course he hadn't been training at all since becoming a kid again and what little he could do exhausted him. The only times that he had ever been this frustrated were back in his genin days when he wanted to kill Itachi so bad. When this was over he was so going to train again.

Speaking of his brother, where was he anyway? The compound was a mess with people running around and trying to escape. By now the rest of the village was getting involved; Kyuubi wasn't exactly being subtle about his presence and all the screaming had woken up the entire village.

There were ninja everywhere but nobody paid attention to the little boy going against the tide of panic. He gritted his teeth as he fought his way through. It'd be easier to take to the roof tops but he had to conserve his chakra.

In the meantime his mind raced as he tried to think about what the hell just happened; what was still happening.

Tonight would have been the night of the massacre, or at least some version of it, he was sure of that. Yet with the amount of ANBU here and the Fourth himself being here, it wasn't the same as it was before. There didn't seem to be any order of annihilation but one thing was for sure.

Madara, that scheming bastard was definitely here. If there was any doubt, Kyuubi wouldn't have gone crazy if he didn't know that the man was here in Konoha. Sasuke grunted as someone kneed him in the stomach in their hurry to leave.

He shoved away from the person only to falter when an explosion rocked the area. Bright red light lit up the dark sky for a few heart beats before fading away. If people hadn't been in a panic before, they were now. ANBU were urging people to leave or detaining others. Women and children screamed and cried in their haste.

The boy plowed on. After what seemed like an eternity of people he finally exited onto a street that was bare. Taking his chances he went for it and started running faster. He could smell the smoke in the air from the explosion. The sounds of animalistic growls and fighting became louder and he knew he was almost there.

Sasuke burst from around a corner only to be assaulted by the burning heat of red chakra. It was painful and hard to breathe; like getting hit by a wall of fire, it took him a moment to orient himself and finally see Naruto crouched on all fours facing off against his father. The Fourth was flashing all over the place; Sasuke couldn't make heads or tail of where he was. The only indication that he was there was the flash of the white coat here and there. Even still, it didn't seem like he was making any headway with Kyuubi.

The entire area resembled a blast zone with the building he was by quickly crumbling away to rubble. Whatever ninja that had been standing by before were now gone leaving only the two blonds. He had to get Naruto's attention and pull him out of his mind. The boy had formed two tails and it looked like a third one wanted to form but Naruto's young body couldn't handle that much. It seemed Kyuubi knew that yet it didn't stop it from trying though.

He didn't have anything on him, no weapons or anything, not that it would help but it would at least be a distraction. He settled for a piece of the crumbling building beside him. With a grunt he heaved a chunk as hard as he could at the furious being. The chunk of concrete was whipped away by a flailing tail. Immediately following the tail Kyuubi whipped its gaze onto Sasuke and quicker than the boy had anticipated it lunged at him.

Not even close to his previous genin level he darted to the side and ducked the swipe of the red chakra. A quick roll saved him from being crushed by a downward slash of a tail. A blow from the side had Kyuubi staggering preventing him from stabbing the downed boy with the second tail. Sasuke looked up to see not the Fourth but another man.

There was no mistaking the long black mane and the posture of Madara.

The appearance of the man didn't confuse Sasuke; he knew Madara wanted him alive. Yet the sight of him caused Kyuubi to go crazy. The fox went into a frenzied rage and charged with a blood thirsty roar.

Madara dodged several attempts to end his life but all of a sudden things went still. Kyuubi stopped before he could start off on another lunge. Sasuke held his breath but then he realized that Madara must have finally caught the fox with the Mangekyou. The man walked forward confidently and drew up his sword.

"I have no use for you yet fox," he announced as he got closer. Horror filled Sasuke as the thought of Madara killing or even hurting Naruto made it through his mind.

The moment slowed down. Every step that Madara took brought him closer to Naruto, closer to hurting him. Kyuubi stood still, unable to defend himself, the Fourth was nowhere in sight. Sasuke didn't even think. Next thing he knew he could _see_; his hands flew automatically into the seals for the first fire jutsu that he learned. He exhaled and the ball of fire blew from his lips.

Enormous and backed by the will of fire, it flew toward the man at an alarming speed. All Madara had time for was a glance over his shoulder before he jumped out of the way. Sasuke didn't have time to be relieved as he dashed over to Naruto's side. No longer held in the genjutsu the boy fell over as the red chakra receded back into his body like it had never been.

Sasuke's eyes darted around. When they landed on Madara a few yards away he stood up in front of Naruto protectively.

"You'll have to kill me if you want him!" he growled at the older Uchiha. He knew damn well the other man wouldn't kill him or Naruto, but he wouldn't stand by and let him hurt them either. His sharingan, only in its infant stage still swirled dangerously as he glared defiantly at Madara.

He laughed at the act the boy put up.

"How courageous. At least there is still some genuine Uchiha blood in you," he sneered. Madara replaced his sword in his sheath and stepped back but not before he murmured, "In time, my dear Sasuke." With those ominous words he disappeared into the night.

Sasuke stood still for the next moment before he let out a breath. The wave of exhaustion suddenly overwhelmed him and he felt the effects of using chakra that he barely had. The red glow of the sharingan faded to black; he turned and looked at the unconscious Naruto. The boy's clothing was burned and scorched; otherwise he was injury free and blissfully unaware. His vision wavered. Suddenly the blond hair and dirty white undershirt looked a lot closer than it was.

Sasuke collapsed and landed in a heap on top of Naruto. He didn't see the Fourth approach along with spare ninja.

Minato had taken the distraction as a chance to move back and form another plan. He landed on the rooftop only to find to his dismay that the distraction had come from Sasuke. How the boy had gotten back there was beyond him.

When Kyuubi had rushed him and the boy had managed to dodge, Minato held back. This was something else; another clue or piece of the puzzle to Sasuke. The boy hadn't been fast but his actions were that of a ninja. As far as he knew, the boy hadn't received any training yet.

Just as he thought he would have to step in to save him Madara appeared of all people to save the boy. Minato began forming thoughts. Why would Madara save a Sasuke when he was trying to kill the clan? Then Sasuke turned right around and defended Naruto. That wasn't a surprise but the fire jutsu was, especially one of that size.

He had seen the glow of the sharingan in the boys eyes and the effortless way that he performed the seals to the jutsu left Minato reeling. With this, there was a lot more weight to the clan's investigation than ever before.

He approached both unconscious boys slowly. Obito landed behind him and voiced his apology. Minato waved it off as he bent down and picked Sasuke off Naruto carefully. The boy's shoulder wound was still bleeding sluggishly. He groaned when Minato lifted him and handed him over to Obito. He then picked up Naruto as well.

He handed Naruto to another ninja, Izumo, and turned to look at Obito.

"Take them to the hospital. Don't leave either of them alone," he ordered. With things like they were he didn't trust anyone alone with Naruto and he couldn't leave Sasuke either.

"Obito, keep them together and don't let them out of your sight," he added.

"Yes, sir!" the man nodded and the two ninja jumped up and away in their haste to get to the hospital. Minato looked at the carnage around him before he took a breath and started issuing orders to contain the mayhem. What was supposed to be a well planned night turned into a complete nightmare; he didn't know what the hell was going on at all.

It had just turned into the longest night of his life.

* * *

A/N:

Well, what do you think? Sasuke has activated his sharingan. I figured with his previous life experience on top of the stressful situation that it was fertile grounds for the sharingan to develop. And yes, he's in trooouble!! He's got some explaining to do to Minato. Naruto's oblivious.

Anyway, I'm looking for some tips or thoughts as to how I can make this chapter a little more…I don't know, tell me if I should do anything differently. This is the turning point of the story and a lot of things will be affected by this chapter so I want to do it right.

Thanks for reading! XD


	8. Chapter 8

Wrong Again

Chapter 8

Hello!!

This chapter is out because it's the holidays (well, sorta if you count all the holiday sales still going on) and I felt like giving. Cheesy I know, but I squeezed this chapter out; it was supposed to be ready to go on Christmas but my insecureness refused to let it out until I had finished proof reading and editing to a decent degree. Just one warning though.

**!WARNING!**

**This chapter contains GORE!! Remember that this is a ****MATURE**** fic. Nothing is censored.**

Enjoy!

* * *

It was four in the morning the next day. Obito was still on guard duty over the two unconscious boys. The village was in an uproar; the fear of Kyuubi returning had made panicked villagers and shinobi rally the Hokage to kill the demon brat.

In the messy aftermath, the Uchiha coup was shoved aside as a result of Kyuubi's rampage rather than the cause. Minato was up over his eyeballs in protests and frantic council members. People had been pressing him, demanding him to take immediate action against the demon. Already there had been an attempt on Naruto's life.

Several ANBU had been dispatched to guard the surrounding area. They were in fact no longer in the hospital but Obito's apartment. The two boys had been secretly moved here a day ago after the incident. So far no one had bothered them here but it was only a matter of time. He wasn't sure how Minato was going to handle this mess but whatever he had to do Obito knew that Minato would never let anything happen to Naruto.

His gaze landed on his young cousin; his eyes studied the closed lids that trembled slightly from a dream. He hadn't seen everything but he had gotten back in time to see Sasuke standing up to the unknown man. The boy's behavior was definitely odd, no doubt about it. As soon as things settled down just enough Minato and he were going to have a word with him.

Naruto as well; Minato might not have noticed it or simply brushed it off because he refused to see anything wrong with Naruto, but Obito had noticed on more than one occasion the strange actions and choices of words that Naruto used.

He looked over to Naruto who was sleeping on the other side of the bed with his face turned away. There wasn't any genjutsu that he or Minato had been able to break and the chakra signatures were indeed Naruto's and Sasuke's. Yet there was just something off; all his searching and snooping had been fruitless and spying on the two boys revealed nothing either.

There wasn't anything that condemned them physically yet the feeling was there. But they were just kids right? What could kids do?

That thought led to Kakashi; the man that never really had a chance to be a kid. Funny how he kept referring to him as a man. Kakashi had been a prodigy of his time. The boy had made chuunin at the tender age of six and had been a jounin for several months before that mission. He had only recently celebrated his twelfth before he had made that promotion. Almost two years older, Obito could remember being rather jealous of the younger boy.

With his level of skill Kakashi had been taking undercover missions as soon as he had made chuunin rank. After all, who would suspect a child of being capable of killing? He'd been damn good at it too.

Obito let out a sigh; it didn't help his suspicions at all thinking about Kakashi. He turned his attention to the door when he heard the fast pacing shortly before it swung open and Minato stalked in. The look on his face was murderous.

The younger man remained silent knowing that an angry Minato needed time to cool down before he even thought about bringing attention to himself. He watched silently as the blond paced angrily to the window and gripped the inner ledge. The wood groaned under the strain.

Several deep breaths later the man finally turned his attention to his sleeping son. The earlier look of fury was replaced by something Obito had a hard time describing. It was the look of a parent; so filled with love and at the same time a fierce determination to protect their child. He almost felt like he was intruding but just as the urge to leave nearly overwhelmed him Minato spoke.

"How are they?"

"Naruto is fine and Sasuke will be sore from his burns and his wound but he should be fine as well with a few more days of rest."

"Hn," Minato looked over Sasuke; he inspected the pale boy for a moment before he let out a sigh. He moved back from the bed and found a chair to sit back on. He looked tired; Obito wouldn't doubt it. Things weren't looking good at all.

"What do you think?"

"I think they should go fuck themselves," he said with a straight face, then added, "And maybe roll over and die in the process too." Minato chuckled briefly. Oh how he had wished the same thing so many times as well. The tension that he had been feeling melted a bit more.

"What do you think of Sasuke?" he asked, this time with more clarification of who he was talking about.

"I think there's a basis to the clan's actions. There's something slightly off with him. I didn't see most of what he did that night but the fact that he was there at all is something to think about. Not to mention, from what Itachi told me, Sasuke hasn't had any ninja training yet the morning he was captured he had rather skillfully attacked them.

"Not too many people know what happened to him when they locked him up. Even his mom doesn't know what they did to him when she managed to sneak him out a week later. What they learned from him Itachi couldn't find out.

"With other little aspects of his behavior up till now, I'd say it's about time we asked him our own questions. The same goes for Naruto," Obito finished solemnly. At that last statement Minato raised his brows.

"Naruto?"

"Yeah, it's not so obvious with him but he's been acting like Sasuke too. Every now and then I'll catch him saying things that he can't possibly know about. He especially acts weird when I mention certain people. He'll catch himself saying something, almost as if he knows them well when, well, they've never met.

"Which brings to mind about how he knows Sasuke; according to Itachi, Sasuke has never left the clan compound before, at least to his knowledge. Fugaku doesn't bring him out to the station on business and Mikoto hardly ever leaves the compound herself."

He looked at his sleeping cousin, "Yet when I mentioned Naruto offhandedly he instantly knew who Naruto was. Naruto immediately who he was too."

All this Minato already knew. There wasn't much that got by him, he just didn't want to hear it spoken out loud as they mirrored his thoughts in the last months. Having Naruto as a son meant more than the world to him and to even consider the suspicion that the little blond sunshine was a fraud was something he couldn't stomach.

He scooted his chair forward and placed a hand on the boy's head. Gently he stroked the soft unruly spikes. What to do? The council had demanded a thorough explanation of what had happened. After the retelling of the events they had demanded to know what he would do with the demon.

Their concern wasn't unfounded. The mystery of the Uchiha man would be investigated yet the fact that the demon fox had managed to even show that level of control over the boy had alarmed them. They wanted to know the details; had the seal somehow been destroyed or compromised?

Minato had assuaged their fears that the seal was indeed intact; going into brief detail that the seal allowed for the demon chakra to slowly mix in with Naruto's chakra over time. It was only due to the stress level and the fox's fury at the unknown man that had allowed for the fox to overpower Naruto's will.

That explanation had gotten them all into a debate about the strength of Naruto's will and if it would be strong enough to handle future complications. The meeting had not ended well and he had stormed off in a foul mood.

With a heavy heart he had agreed to have Naruto be placed in lockdown until he could be deemed safe. He had only agreed because Naruto would be kept at home and he would supervise the evaluation.

As for the Uchiha that had been captured, they would be placed on trial once a case had been formally declared against them. Unfortunately during the chaos several key members of the clan and the ones planning the coup had managed to escape. There were ninja out now searching the village for them. Minato couldn't care less if they were brought back dead or alive but for the sake of a trial they were needed more or less alive.

One of the Uchiha that had escaped was none other than Sasuke's father, Fugaku. It would be beneficial to have him brought back alive.

The blond man sighed again. He was feeling so old already. With the war between Rock and Leaf over, he thought that perhaps there would be peace. But one thing after another just kept popping up.

"Bring both boys to my place. I'll have them questioned when they're conscious," he said before he stood up and stretched. He still had much to do.

"I'll stop by shortly to reinforce the house seals." Obito nodded and stood up.

"You should get some sleep, Minato," he suggested to the other man. Said blond merely shrugged a shoulder and made his way to the door.

"I can't sleep just yet. You should go now before the sun comes up," he said before he opened the door and stepped out shutting it quietly behind him.

Obito let out his own sigh when the Hokage left and he carefully picked up one boy and then the other. With a genjutsu cloaking them he was soon on his way to the Hokage manor.

* * *

Sasuke woke up to silence. A wayward thought registered in his mind that something was wrong. He never woke to silence, not since he slept in the same room with Naruto. The boy snored horribly on some nights but if he wasn't snoring then he was either moving about in his sleep or talking. Even in his slumber the blond couldn't be quiet.

Sasuke opened one eye sleepily; damn he was tired. His other eye opened reluctantly and they fell onto an empty bed across the room. Naruto wasn't in his bed.

Then his memory kicked him in the guts and he practically fell out of his bed as he called out for Naruto. The instantaneous fear that Madara had decided to come back and take him away made his stomach clench and his legs weak.

He grasped the bed and struggled to get up but only successfully fell onto it. He struggled to even his breathing; he felt so weak! His limbs shook as he hauled himself upright on the bed. His commotion had brought about the attention of his guard.

The door opened and Izumo poked his head in to find the little boy breathing hard and paler than usual.

The moment Sasuke spotted the man, he knew Izumo from all the time he spent in the tower with Naruto and the Hokage, he shot off his question. He just had to know.

"Where's Naruto?"

"Calm down, Sasuke-kun," Izumo came into the room slowly, "Just lie down okay? Everything's okay."

Sasuke shook his head and demanded to know where Naruto was again. The man knelt down by the bed and tried to get Sasuke to lie down. The pale boy jerked back and glared at him.

"Where is Naruto!?" he shouted, hysteria creeping into his voice. The man held up his hands non-threateningly as he leaned away from the panicked boy.

"Listen Sasuke-kun, can you calm down for me?" he asked gently but Sasuke wasn't having any of it. He had lost Naruto once and he wasn't going to lose him again. Especially not to Madara; that man was going to pay if he so much as touched a hair on Naruto's head! He couldn't explain his panic, only that if he didn't see Naruto soon he was going to fully freak out.

"No! Where is he?" Sasuke bucked and kicked and clawed at the man when he tried to envelop him in a hold. It was a loud messy struggle as he screamed and shouted at the man to let him go. His breathing hitched and he began hyperventilating. Izumo was starting to really consider knocking the kid out when his thoughts were interrupted.

"What's going on here?" In their struggle the two hadn't noticed Obito's rushed entrance. As soon as he felt Sasuke's meager chakra flare he had darted into the house. At the sound of Sasuke's screams he couldn't get to the room fast enough and cursed that he couldn't just flash into the room like Minato.

"Obito-sempai!" Izumo called out helplessly as he struggled to get a hold of the still squirming boy. Sasuke had noticed his cousin and had started shouting for him.

"Let him go!" Obito ordered and he darted forward and caught the boy who had leapt into his arms as soon as Izumo had let him go. Sasuke clung to him tightly; his tiny frame was shaking. He was crying and it soon morphed into sobs as he cried for Naruto.

Obito hugged him and rubbed his back soothingly. The other man stood up awkwardly unsure of what to do. It took a few moments but soon Sasuke was just hiccupping. Obito looked at Izumo questioningly and the older man shrugged.

"I heard a thump and I came in to find him panicky and demanding to know where Naruto was. I tried to calm him down but, it just got worse," he finished lamely. Obito nodded; Sasuke was a strange kid, he didn't like many other people touching him at all and went out of his way sometimes to avoid it from those he didn't know well, which was pretty much everyone that wasn't Naruto, Minato or himself.

"You can take a break, I'll take care of him," he offered the other man who nodded and saluted him before he exited the room. Obito sat down on Sasuke's bed and eased the boy onto his lap so that he could look at him.

"Sasuke?" he asked gently. The boy looked up at him; his face was open and pleading with tear stains.

"Where's Naruto?" Obito almost couldn't take that look. Hell, he didn't think Sasuke was faking such concern. How was he supposed to tell the boy that his best friend had been kidnapped? The two were hardly ever apart and if they were, never for more than a few minutes before the other got nervous and twitchy.

When Minato had told him to take the two boys to the manor, he had done so thinking that the genjutsu would be enough to prevent anyone from following him. The only ones that would easily see through the cloak would have been someone with a sharingan.

Little had he known that the ones who had seen through it were the escaped Uchihas themselves. Overtaken and totally surprised, the five had overwhelmed him long enough to steal Naruto. Two of the five had made an attempt for Sasuke but the two ANBU guards following behind had caught up causing them to drop their attempt and flee after the ones who had already taken Naruto.

He had given Sasuke to the rabbit ANBU with a harsh order to get the Hokage and dashed off after them. The other ANBU had detained the two Uchihas in battle; Obito left them behind. Oh god, what the hell was Minato going to do if he didn't get Naruto back. He chased them turn for turn with his sharingan blazing.

It was into the clan compound that they were headed for. Obito knew that if he didn't catch up to them before that they were going to get away. Inside the compound were countless secret passages and rooms that they could escape through or hide in.

He hadn't been privileged to know where most of the passages were; the thought that they had most likely used these secrets to stay hidden burned his mind. He was going to burn that place down when he had the chance.

Just as he turned a corner building perilously close to the compound he saw the forms dash over the clan wall and his heart sunk. Determination surged through him; he couldn't give up yet!

Two minutes later though he was left standing before a door that they had passed through. He had tried several fire jutsus but to no avail; the door wouldn't budge. He didn't want to do any earth jutsus as it might collapse the tunnel or room behind the door.

His eyes scanned the door and surrounding area but without the knowledge of what to look for he was helpless. He let out a frustrated scream and pounded the unmoving door.

Minato had showed up shortly after. He briefly looked at the pale man and he ordered him to step back. Obito quickly scrambled away; he knew from the chakra being gathered what Minato was about to do.

Bang! One Rasengan later the door exploded into chunks and debris and before Obito could even warn him about traps Minato was already moving in.

"Keep an eye on Sasuke!" was the last thing Obito had heard from him. The order tore him apart inside; he had failed to keep Naruto safe but he could still see to Sasuke. Yet he couldn't just let Minato follow behind them blindly much less go by himself.

"I can't let you go by yourself!" disregarding his former teacher's order he darted in after him. They couldn't lose Sasuke but damn if he was going to abandon his Hokage.

The search had been long and fruitless. It had been a dangerous maze of traps and dead ends. With Obito's sharingan they were able to avoid setting off most of the traps, but after half an hour of searching they had come to another dead end after exhausting all the other pathways. Frustrated and more than terrified for his son's safety in his kidnappers hands Minato had made for the tower to organize a search party. He once again ordered Obito to look after Sasuke.

Obito had returned to the manor only to find Sasuke in the state that he was currently in. The older Uchiha patted Sasuke's head, smoothing down some wild spikes in the back before they sprung right back up.

"Naruto's not here right now," he said carefully. He watched Sasuke's face freeze up in fear; he wondered how a boy could know such fear? The boy's grip tightened on his flak jacket vest.

"What do you mean?" the child whispered, "Where is he? Who took him?" his voice grew in volume with each question. Obito puzzled over the boy's choice of words. This was probably a good time to get some answers.

"I never said anyone took him." He gauged the boy's reaction. To his surprise Sasuke didn't stammer or back down. The look of fear had disappeared only to be replaced by a serious apprehensive gaze.

"Someone took him," he insisted. The boy started to push away in an attempt to get away. His eyes were distant with deep thoughts. _Madara, that bastard had taken Naruto after all!_ He cursed silently at how weak he was, how he had been so complacent with Naruto and the Fourth here. He had forgotten the cunning of that man.

"What do you know Sasuke?" Obito pressed, drawing the boy's attention back to his cousin. Sasuke blinked and stopped pushing at the man whose lap he was still sitting on.

Could he do it? What would his cousin think? They were already suspicious of him and this would only add to it. Hell, the way he had acted last night was a dead giveaway that he wasn't merely a kid.

He could do it. For Naruto's sake, he had to. Only he knew about Madara and his treacherous plans. He was too young and powerless to stop the man but maybe Obito and the Yondaime could. The man wouldn't gain enough strength until much later and even still he was merely a shadow of what he used to be according to the Itachi that he knew.

"Who took him?" Sasuke asked again. Obito stared down at those black eyes, so similar to his own yet the serious look that had entered them was no longer the look of a child but someone older. The man contemplated on how much he should reveal but sometimes you had to give in order to receive and at the moment it looked like Sasuke was willing to give.

"Your father."

Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise; he wasn't expecting that at all. So Madara hadn't kidnapped Naruto? His father had? What the hell was going on?! Things were going so wrong!

First Kakashi is dead and the Fourth is alive, Itachi doesn't murder the clan and Madara appears early and now Naruto had been kidnapped by his father. The vow that he had made when he had been imprisoned came back to his mind.

He wasn't supposed to make any stupid choices yet all along he had chosen the easy way out. By not doing anything he had let these things happen. What would it be like if he had done something-anything?

"Sasuke?" Obito asked when it seemed Sasuke wouldn't be answering any time soon as he was so lost in thought. The boy blinked up at his cousin. It seemed at once that he made up his mind, "Where did they go?"

Deciding to play along Obito answered that they had taken one of the passages in the compound. His brows furrowed and Sasuke asked which one. Obito described the building and the surrounding area of the compound, he even described Minato's and his attempt to follow.

Quick as a cat Sasuke's gaze narrowed and he demanded, "How long ago?"

"Half hour ago," Obito responded to which Sasuke swore loudly, he didn't care anymore; Obito was more curious now than ever. Just what the hell did Sasuke know that Itachi didn't know? Who the hell was this kid really?

"They'll be well south of the village by now!" he cried out and jumped off the man's lap suddenly in his distress. Alarmed Obito stood up as well.

"How do you know?" he demanded.

"It doesn't matter right now," he snapped as he went for the door, "We need to get to Naruto now!" Before he could get to the door knob Obito grabbed his arm.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Who else would know where they could be?" he argued back and tried to yank his arm out of the man's grip, "_Let go of me_." He glared coldly at his cousin and Obito was once again struck by how un-childlike the boy was behaving.

"Every second we waste could mean more harm to Naruto," he reasoned. Obito reluctantly loosened his hold but he didn't let go. He would take this to Minato.

"Come on then," the man muttered before he scooped the boy onto his back and they headed for the tower to find the blond boy's father.

* * *

The sudden feeling of falling jerked Naruto awake faster than his father's attempts to drown him in the mornings to get him out of bed. He found himself bouncing along on someone's shoulder as they jumped down from the high branches of a tree. It took several moments to orient himself as he was suddenly flipped over and thrown onto the ground.

"Ow," he groaned at the sting of being dropped five or more feet onto the hard forest floor. He looked up at the man through the dim light. It looked like the sun was either setting or rising but there was enough light that he recognized the pale features and dark eyes as any Uchiha.

What the heck was going on? The last thing he remembered was throwing a pillow at Sasuke for saying something mean then dozing off to sleep. The man above him didn't look friendly and movement from the other side of a tree to his left showed that the man wasn't alone.

"We can't stop yet," another man growled from further away, "He'll find us if we stop here." Naruto couldn't see this man nor did he recognize the voice. He didn't need to think too hard to guess that they were talking about his dad. Who were these guys and what were they doing running off with him?

"We lost them in the tunnels, they won't know where to find us," the man by the tree argued. The angry man stepped out of the brushes and Naruto saw his face.

"With that man you can never be too careful," he snapped, "Get him, let's keep moving." Wordlessly the man who had been carrying him bent down to hoist him onto his shoulder again.

Instinctively Naruto kicked out with all his might and chakra just as the man's face was close enough. The kick took the man by surprise; he was dead even before he could let out more than a groan as his nose was shattered and the cartilage lodged itself in his brain.

Naruto scrambled out of the way as the man fell forward in an unmoving heap.

"What the hell?" the complaining man cried out in surprise as Naruto stood up and faced the two remaining men.

"Demon!" the angry man hissed and the sharingan blazed to life in his once black eyes. _Shit! _Naruto avoided his gaze, an ingrained habit learned from fighting Itachi. The other man rushed him fist drawn back ready to beat the demon brat down.

Everything had gone wrong because of the stupid demon. And now he dared to take another life?!

Naruto ducked under the fist and slammed his own chakra powered head into the man's wide open chin. He knew he had a hard skull and he proved it so when he heard the sickening crack of bone. The man screamed hoarsely as he clutched his shattered jaw.

There was no time to delve on his satisfaction as he jumped back to avoid the kick that would have knocked his head off had it connected. He growled at the last man who stood back and regarded him coolly.

"So, it is true then," he muttered seemingly to himself but Naruto heard him nonetheless.

"What are you talking about? And who the hell are you?" Naruto demanded. He held himself tensely, warily waiting and preparing for an attack from the man.

The man didn't answer him. The morning light continued to grow and a quick glance from his peripheral vision told him that they were in Konoha's forests. The trees loomed out majestically with its branches high up and large enough to travel upon. Where he was exactly he didn't know though.

The man lunged and Naruto dodged, his chakra flaring to increase his speed to match the man. Several more lunges were met with equal speed and dodging. Finally the man stood back and growled out, "You don't deserve Sasuke, demon."

The words confused Naruto. This man knew Sasuke? Well, obviously he was an Uchiha and every Uchiha seemed to know Sasuke.

"Stay away from my son!" the man charged once more. Naruto was knocked back by the sheer ferocity of the attack. It didn't take long though before his own anger flared. No one told him what to do! Hell, no one told him to stay away from Sasuke either. If he didn't listen to the perverted hermit than he sure as hell wasn't going to listen to this man!

"Don't tell me what to do! And I'm not going to stay away from Sasuke!" angry he charged in with his own attack. Quick hand seals created a shadow clone to his left. Immediately the clone began what he had been created for.

The form of the infamous Rasengan was formed to the other man's surprise.

"How do you know that?" he demanded a second before Naruto's clone was dispelled and he charged the man with a cry of 'Rasengan'!

With the sharingan the attack was easily dodged. The tree previously behind him groaned under the force of the attack before it shattered and splintered. The unfortunate man with the broken jaw didn't jump away fast enough to escape the slew of wooden shrapnel.

"Enough of this!" the man barked and he lunged at Naruto once more, faster than before. It seemed he had been going easy on the boy earlier as now Naruto couldn't keep up. A punch sent him stumbling to the ground followed by a vicious kick to his stomach.

Naruto gagged from the blow, the wind completely knocked from him. Before he could even recover the man grabbed him and hauled him up by his hair. He cried out in pain as the man twisted his grip.

He kicked out but a punch to face stunned him. The man yanked his head forward and his nose connected with the man's knee. Pain exploded in his face. He felt his nose shatter painfully even as a fistful of his hair was wrenched out when the man tossed him to the side.

Naruto landed on his back on the ground; he struggled to breathe through his mouth as blood covered his face both from his nose and from his torn scalp.

A gurgled scream was ripped from him as the man stepped on his hand and ground it viciously into the hard ground.

"You're disgusting, parading around like you have the right to live," the man spat down at him. A brutal kick to the boy's side followed the scathing remark. Naruto cried out in pain once more before he clamped his mouth shut and did his best to glare up at the man. Another harder kick was delivered to his tender side breaking a rib. Naruto almost couldn't hold in his scream.

The man followed the kick with more words but Naruto had ceased to hear what the man was saying. Kyuubi, only recently shoved back into his cage, was roused to action by the man. It wasn't Madara but it was still an Uchiha.

Any Uchiha was despicable in its eyes.

Menacingly red chakra began flooding the boy's chakra system. Caught up in his anger the man noticed too late the red clouded eyes and the animalistic growl. A burst of burning chakra sent the man flying back. He caught himself on a tree and swore. He had taken too long! He chastised himself for letting his anger get the better of him.

Kyuubi growled as it crouched ready to pounce and rip the Uchiha to shreds and drink its blood.

* * *

Minato's heart skipped a beat when he felt the flare from the south just as Sasuke said. They were already heading in that direction. It wouldn't be too long now before he reached his little boy. Faster than most shinobi even without his Hirashin, Minato pulled ahead of everyone else.

He pushed himself to go even faster when the familiar feel of the red chakra pulsed from the forest. The scream he heard only served to hasten him even more.

_Naruto._ Oh god he hoped he wouldn't be too late! _Please, just a little bit more! Please be okay Naruto!_ Minato prayed fervently in his mind. The images of what could be going on at the moment terrified him.

When Obito had summoned him with the three pronged kunai he had been hopeful then instantly irritated when he found himself inside the tower. His irritation instantly turned to hope once more as Sasuke who wasn't Sasuke said that Naruto was south of the village.

With only a look at Obito for confirmation he had teleported to the southern gate and from there took off. The sun was already rising and with every ray that illuminated the sky Minato had the sinking feeling that he wouldn't be there in time to stop anything from happening.

There! He jumped down to the forest floor to catch a glimpse of a body go crashing into a tree. The body fell into a bloody heap but it coughed and sat up against the tree revealing itself to be none other than Fugaku. Minato saw red; that man!

Then he really did see red as Kyuubi pounced on the man. He didn't stand a chance as the claws slashed through his flesh like a warm knife through soft butter.

"Naruto!" Minato shouted. He couldn't care less that Fugaku was getting his just desserts but he was needed somewhat alive.

Red eyes turned to him and the demon snarled with no trace of his son in that gaze. It didn't step away from the broken bleeding man though. Instead it waited.

Minato stood back even as he tried to bring his son back. Knowing there really was no way to successfully defeat the fox even in this state he waited as well. Moments of fear and tension ticked by when Minato felt the others catching up. He felt Obito's chakra along with a few others. Sasuke's was among them.

Fugaku sputtered and muttered something even though he was growing weaker by the moment from blood loss.

The others came crashing through the trees with Sasuke clinging onto Obito. When he saw Naruto he jumped off and ran straight for him.

"Sasuke!" Obito shouted at the boy as he made a grab for the boy too late; Kyuubi laughed and shifted its body so that Sasuke could see the source of the blood.

"Sasuke," came the weak voice of his father. The pale boy froze in his tracks at the sound and sight of his father. He was battered and his chest and stomach looked like half grounded raw beef. Blood oozed from him and the puddle beneath him was growing bigger by the second.

"Father?" he gasped out. That night flashed before his eyes again. There was blood everywhere; on the walls, on the mats, on his mother, on his father, on his brother and his sword, on him. He shook his head. No, it couldn't be happening again. Itachi wasn't here.

Kyuubi was here. The demon chuckled with the double voice of a low growl and Naruto's voice. Sasuke's eyes snapped to red ones filled with smug satisfaction. Why was it so damned happy?

"I was waiting just for you," it purred. Sasuke was confused, hell, everyone was confused. They all stood by unsure of what the fox demon was planning.

Kyuubi leaned down toward the dying man and ran a claw almost loving across the man's bloody cheek. With no strength left the man could do nothing. Sasuke couldn't take the way that the demon was touching his father; he hated it, he hated the way it smiled.

"Get away from him!" he shouted.

"Naruto! Fight him!" Minato yelled. Inwardly Sasuke had the same fleeting thought. The fox's gaze slid slyly over to the Hokage and it snickered.

"Don't be impatient. You'll have your son back in just a moment," it purred and turned its eyes back to Sasuke.

"For you, Uchiha Sasuke, for the way it really was." Sasuke screamed as the fox's meaning dawned on him and he lunged forward only to finally be caught by Obito. The demon's clawed hand that had been stroking the man's cheek had gripped the man's face and forced it upward. His teeth sank into the soft flesh of Fugaku's neck and with no more effort than it took to turn his head he ripped the man's throat out.

With all the blood loss nothing more happened than a spray of blood that spurted briefly before it stopped to a slow drip. The body fell sideways with a thump its neck sporting a gaping, crude fleshy hole. The fox spat out the chunk of flesh and grinned at them showing off the bloody canines.

Obito wanted to puke. The cruel laugh of the fox sounded throughout the forest and it rang eerily about until it died down and the red chakra disappeared leaving behind the blood covered host who promptly slumped over unconscious.

Sasuke had frozen when Kyuubi had ripped his father's throat out. Something kept him immobile and unable to help his dying father. But as silence filled the forest he seemed to snap and his sudden jerk freed him from Obito's grasp. He fell upon his father's still form. Someone was screaming and crying but all he felt inside was disbelief.

His father wasn't supposed to die! The massacre didn't happen! Itachi didn't kill anyone!

Someone pulled at him but he tore free as he clung to his father.

He vaguely realized that he might be the one screaming. _No no no no nonononononono!_

It wasn't supposed to happen this way! Voices ran around him but he ignored them. Hands grabbed at him but he jerked away. How could they take him away from his father? _I thought it wouldn't happen. It wasn't supposed to happen!_ The boy sobbed and his vision immediately blurred. The voices around him were distorted.

_Sasuke_.

No, Itachi was dead! He couldn't be talking to him! Yet he looked up and there was his brother standing before him. The light behind his brother's form hurt his eyes. He heard his brother say something but he shook his head.

_No! You're dead! I killed you! Just like you killed father and mother!!_

He refused the image of his brother but he couldn't look away. The last thing he saw was his father's gaping neck and lifeless face before everything went dark.

Sasuke!

* * *

A/N: Wow, what that as dramatic to you guys as it was to me?

I would have kept writing but I think this is a good place to stop, don't you think? This is my longest chapter yet. Don't count on them always being this long even though I will try. Anyway, this chapter didn't turn out like I had planned at all. Originally Sasuke was supposed to have been kidnapped by his father but Sasuke wanted to be the one to tell the secret. But the best laid plans can go awry or gory in this case.

**Remember readers that this is a Mature fic so I won't censor anything here.**

I didn't think it was too gory but maybe it is (TV and movies had dulled my senses of gory)… Cruelty and other themes will continue in various forms.

If you're confused about anything, especially the shift between POV's then let me know so I can explain. For example, it's been over a day since the Kyuubi attack but Sasuke thought that it had only been a few hours hence the reason why he says the things he does and thinks the way he thinks.


	9. Chapter 9

Wrong Again

Chapter 9

So, I just read chapter 1 again and I had said that I would keep it only in Naruto's and Sasuke's point of view but I haven't done that at all! Oh well, it helps me write and explain things that otherwise wouldn't even be mentioned because Naruto and Sasuke are pretty clueless about their new life. Now that would suck for you guys to have no idea what's going on…not that you do anyway. Just kidding, here's chapter 9 and it's dedicated to SolitaryMovement for her review, it really made me happy! This is out earlier than usual just for you, enjoy!

(The first sentence really is a breather, sorry about it, it just wouldn't break down properly).

* * *

"Let me out of here you damned stupid fox!" Naruto shouted up at the ceilings of the sewer that made up the prison maze that housed the demon. He had felt the pain fade away when the fox chakra had begun consuming him. Too weak to stop the flow he had been slowly forced into the sewer and held there against his will.

What was worse, he could _hear_ it.

For once in his life, Naruto was aware of what the fox was doing while it took over his body. He couldn't see but the sounds of that double voiced laughter intermittent with screams scared the shit out of him. He could hear what the demon was saying and it chilled him to the bone.

He wasn't sure if not seeing anything could be considered a blessing when his overactive imagination was working overtime letting him know exactly what could be going on. Whatever Kyuubi was doing using his body that man sure as hell wasn't going to die painlessly.

After a while he kept his shouting to a minimum but the moment he heard his father, his screaming and shouting increased once more. He had to get out! He started running once more as if that would lead him to an the fox suddenly stopped. And Naruto slowed to a stop as he realized why. Fear seized at his heart and his breathing stopped. _No, don't! Don't come here!_ He couldn't breathe as his lungs refused to work and his legs stiffened and locked up.

He could feel Sasuke. For the longest time nothing happened. Naruto counted the harsh gurgling breaths of the dying man; he being Sasuke's father acording to the fox. He could sense his own father but no one was moving except for the group that was fast approaching. The boy was close by and before he knew it there was a commotion.

Obito was there and some other vaguely familiar chakra signatures but he couldn't take the time to decipher just who they were. His senses were drawn to the still boy standing not too far away. _Oh god, what was going on?_

He heard his father telling him to fight the fox. What the hell did they think he was doing? He didn't know of any way to really get control back, it just happened. He shouted at the walls some more and he missed what was said but the next words caught his immediate attention.

Kyuubi spoke clearly.

"For you, Uchiha Sasuke, for the way it really was." Sasuke screamed and Naruto fell forward as his stomach revolted and he lost whatever meager contents there were inside. Clutching at his heaving sides he was so cold. He had heard the fleshy sound and for second there he had smelled and tasted the warm blood.

This couldn't be happening. _This can't be happening. This can't be happening!_ The mantra repeated itself several times in his head before he shouted it out loud to the cold damp walls.

"This can't be happening! Kyuubi!!" His wail fell on deaf ears. Naruto curled up and hugged his knees. He hadn't spoken to Kyuubi yet in this time but from the fox's words he knew that Kyuubi knew. They were connected, intertwined; whatever happened to one happened to the other. The demon must have come back into the past with him as well. How else would he know?

Naruto had to get out. Whatever he did he had to get out of here!

"Let me out!! Stupid fox!!" he shouted and stood up. Determined to get out he started running again. Whatever had happened outside was bad and he needed to get out. The need was so great that he just couldn't think of anything else at the moment. It powered his legs into running. He ran hard and fast and made his way back to the looming gates of the cage where the demon was supposed to be.

The fox was there golden eyes gleaming with amusement. As Naruto entered the chamber it loomed forward of the gates and chuckled.

"About time you came down here," it spoke with a deep rumble. Naruto snarled at it.

"What the hell, you stupid fox! What the fuck do you think you're doing? Let me out!" he shouted at the demon. Kyuubi laughed and regarded the raging smaller human before him.

"I just saved your life, brat. Be a little bit more grateful," it chided. It must have been in a good mood to not snap and growl immediately like it usually did. Naruto didn't care; he didn't give a damn about the demon's moods.

"You don't give a shit about me!" he shouted with an accusing finger at the chakra form. The fox ignored the outburst and tilted its head.

"Don't you want to know?" Naruto crossed his arms over his chest. Yes he did want to know but he'd be damned three times over before he admitted that to the fox. The stupid thing would gloat over this forever.

"Know what?" he snapped. The demon laughed at the boy's pretense. It decided it wouldn't tell unless the human gave in and asked. Then it would see if it felt like telling it what had happened. So instead it changed the subject.

"You and that pesky Uchiha have caused so much trouble," the demon chuckled, "The two of you together caused more chaos and destruction than me." Naruto failed to see what was so amusing. And that wasn't true at all!

"Us!? It's all because of you! If it weren't for you everything would be fine! It's because of you that my father died! That Sasuke went against Konoha! It's you that-"

"Me?" it laughed again interrupting the human's rant, "Of course I was there, and all I had to do was _one_ thing, one thing that I'm good at. And you two did all the rest. I haven't had this much fun in a while. Thanks to you and that brat, I'll actually get a chance to kill that man and free myself!"

"What are you talking about? You can't free yourself!" Naruto didn't like where this conversation was going. Kyuubi definitely had come back to the past with him and it seemed stronger than before. And how the hell was it planning on freeing itself? As if it could read his mind, or in this case the bewildered expression on the human's face, the fox decided to enlighten it.

"Just think; that human is alive in this time. What would he do to keep his precious son when he finds out that he had already lost him in another life?" the demon taunted. Dread filled Naruto; he hadn't thought of that. No way was he gonna let Kyuubi blurt out something like that. He wasn't going to let his father choose again, not if he could help it!

"I won't let you!" That was final; he had to stop talking to the damn fox. He was filling his head with doubts and fears that he didn't need. With a surge of will, he forced Kyuubi back into its cage. It wasn't so much as forcing but Kyuubi drawing back.

The seal glowed briefly in the dark and he could no longer see the red chakra of the demon but Naruto could still hear its haunting laughter.

_Stupid fox._

* * *

"By the founding of the council of Konoha, you, Uchiha Shisui are found guilty of high treason; for planning and aiding the attempt to overtake Konoha and is hereby sentenced to death…" The trial droned on for numerous members of the clan. This was the third day of sentencing; each person had their own trial, most were shorter than others which lasted hours.

With the evidence stacked against the clan members, there was no case of defense. Minato presided over the trials but otherwise didn't say much other than presenting the charges and punishments. Days had passed and many more would pass before this whole fiasco would be over. So far the ones that were being charged were the ones with evidence of direct involvement. It would take more time to finalize the other trials for those that might have had a hand or played a smaller role.

Even those that knew of the coup but stayed complacent weren't spared. In the end, Minato knew most of the clan would either be executed or imprisoned for some time. Most transgressors were older males; the innocent consisted mainly of children and women.

The famous clan, the co-founders of Konoha, would no longer ever hold its prestigious name any more. The power and place of honor was stripped from them and the survivors would be left in shame.

Minato observed the section that was reserved for first come civilians and other spectators. The looks ranged from anger to disbelief. Konoha had lost one of its strongest clans to shame. He thought back to those late night secret meetings when one of the options was to secretly eliminate the entire clan to avoid this issue of public humiliation and paperwork.

The suggestion had come from an older member; Danzou to be specific. Minato was waiting for that bastard to keel over in his day to day dealings but so far it hadn't happened. The fact that the old man didn't just retire like Homura or Koharu pissed him off to no end but he had to deal with him.

Danzou had wanted to annihilate the clan; the upside to that meant the clan would die with honor. But what was honor to a dead clan than to the village? To him as the Hokage to even _allow_ for such an action was unthinkable! Why lie to his people? They deserved to know the truth. Unfortunately he knew all too well some leaders who would keep their policies and dealings secret from their people.

He looked at the next Uchiha up for judgment and his gut clenched when he saw that it was another teenager. According to the file that he had read and pretty much memorized, the boy was two marriages removed from Obito, a cousin who was only sixteen years old.

The boy stood before the judgment panel with his head held down. He along with those standing just behind the side doors had heard the previous sentence to Shisui. No doubt the boy knew what he faced since he had been quite active in the coup in his eagerness to impress his father.

For those who had a developed a sharingan had their blood limit sealed. The seal had been designed by the clan itself for detaining their own members. Minato had made some minor improvements on the design. This boy didn't have a seal though yet he wore the chakra binding seals like all the others. The lack of the prized eye would explain why he had been trying to please his father.

Minato let of a quiet sigh; he did his best to hide it. This whole thing weighed heavily on his heart. There really was no way around it though. And just like he hadn't been able to avoid this, there was still the issue of Sasuke and Naruto. Ever since that day of Naruto's kidnapping, more questions had been raised about the mystery of the two boys.

The way Kyuubi had acted, what it had said, it made no sense at all. _The way things really were?_ What the hell did it mean? How did it know the name of a seven year old?

After the incident, Sasuke had woken up screaming and hysterical. His words matched up with what he had been screaming at Itachi the moment their father died. The older Uchiha had been confused by the accusation and just more than a little hurt since it had been him who had taken the mission as a double agent for the fall of the clan. Minato had assured him that he would get to the bottom of it.

Sasuke had been sedated but the second time he came around it was obvious the boy had withdrawn from everyone. Minato didn't blame him; he had witnessed the killing of his father in such a gruesome way. He wasn't sure if the boy would recover mentally.

Naruto had been pretty much the same way. His injuries healed up shortly after and even his broken bones had been set and the boy was already sitting up in bed. But that was the extent of his movements. The boy had been extremely quiet. The haunted look in his eyes led his concerned guardian to believe that he hadn't been exactly oblivious when the fox had taken over.

Minato had tried to engage him in conversation and comfort him but Naruto had merely asked if Sasuke was around. He had answered that Sasuke was in the next room. That had been the end of any real interaction between them.

It killed him to see his little boy so withdrawn and damaged. Never before had he'd ever seen Naruto like this. In the past, attempts by villagers to beat the boy hadn't ever brought him down to this level before. It angered him; he despised the fox demon but he hated himself for not being able to do anything, for not _knowing_ what to do.

Despite the story he had fed the council about Naruto's seal he knew that the level of control wasn't supposed to be anywhere near this strong, if at all. Part of the seal would have initially suppressed the demon enough so that it wouldn't be conscious for years to come. His seal had been meant so that the fox would have been awakened not because it wanted to but by Naruto calling it forth.

So how come the fox had taken over? Had Naruto somehow called it? That didn't seem plausible but until he questioned him he wouldn't know for sure.

Speaking of questioning his boy, he had to do that soon. Today's trials would end in a few more hours. It would be over when the list of names scheduled for today were done. So in the mean time he had to sit tight and bear with it.

He gritted his teeth but compromised by sorting out just what questions he would ask those two boys. It really was time for this; he had put it off long enough. Now he just hoped that he wasn't too late and that they would talk willingly.

Konoha, as with any other ninja village, had their own methods of extracting information. Most could be considered brutal and painful and he didn't even want to think about resorting to those but they did have a few non painful methods such as the Yamanaka clan mind reading jutsus. Or there was another mind reading jutsu but that required the person in question to be dead.

None of the methods were any that he wanted to deploy. He just hoped that they would cooperate and speak freely. One thing though that Minato had learned since he was young, hardly anything was ever free, especially information.

It was going to be another long night.

* * *

Naruto was sitting up in his bed. It was his usual room that he shared with Sasuke but in this case there wasn't any Sasuke to share it with. According to his dad, Sasuke was in the next room over but try as he might, he couldn't sense the other boy's chakra at all.

He entertained the thought that maybe the walls were chakra proof or something or that his father had lied and Sasuke really wasn't there. Whatever the case, Naruto was concerned. He hadn't seen his best friend for a while now and he was getting damned antsy. It didn't help that he was bored out of his mind. No one had told him that he couldn't leave the room but they didn't actually give off the vibe that he could either.

The boy stared hard at the door; the staring contest lasted only a minute before he shoved his cover aside and threw his legs over the side of the bed and sat up. It was his house he could damn well do what he wanted. And he wanted to find Sasuke right now.

After a few shaky steps from not having used his legs for a while Naruto finally found his balance. He quickly made his way to the door before anyone could barge in and change his plans.

The door to the room next to his was unlocked and to prove his father right, Sasuke was in there. Naruto walked in slowly and closed the door behind him. Sasuke looked sick and extremely pale. He looked skinnier too. Around his eyes there were strange dark markings like a tattoo. Some sort of seal?

No wonder he hadn't been able to sense anything, perhaps his dad had sealed his chakra. The only reason that would make sense was if Sasuke had gone crazy when his father was killed. If so, Naruto didn't blame him, just like he didn't blame him for being such an ass all those years ago when all he wanted to do was kill his brother.

Also Sasuke might as well be dead by the way he looked and acted. The pale boy didn't even acknowledge him when he walked over to the bed. The boy was lying on the large bed, made larger by how small he was, with his eyes staring off into space. Naruto didn't think he was sleeping but maybe he was wrong. Why else would he be so still?

"Sasuke?" he called out quietly just in case he was sleeping. Then Naruto seemed to remember himself and who he was talking to.

"Hey, teme!" he finished crossing the distance to the bed with loud marching steps. At the bed side Sasuke was still too far away so he climbed onto the bed disrupting the calm sea of crème sheets and cover. He leaned over the unresponsive boy with a frown. When a wave of his hand over the hazy gaze didn't even provoke a blink he spoke up again accompanying each of his words with a poke.

"Hey, teme! What's the matter?"

"Go away," the pale boy mumbled so lightly Naruto almost didn't hear him. Nonetheless it was a response but to keep him talking he pretended that he didn't hear him.

"What? What did you say?" Naruto proceeded to lean closer to the other boy. Slightly irritated by the blond Sasuke shifted his gaze to Naruto.

"Don't yell in my face, dobe," he paired his request with a glare. Naruto smiled, finally, a proper response from the boy. Smiling Naruto continued to stare down at Sasuke with no intention to leave. He had managed to get a reaction but he knew he needed to annoy him more if he was going to get anywhere. That was just the way Sasuke functioned; he knew just what the other boy liked and didn't like.

And what Sasuke hated almost as much as incessant jabbering was pointless staring which he just couldn't ignore. Unwilling to be the first to look away Sasuke lasted all of two minutes before he snapped.

"What?" _Victory!_

"You look like shit," he blurted out. Hell, that wasn't what he was planning on saying but his tongue managed to beat his brain in the race to say something once again. Sasuke wasn't amused; he didn't even deign to answer that comment.

Naruto sobered up and his eyes grew solemn. Sasuke processed the one eighty degree turn in personality but stayed silent as he waited for Naruto to say what he came to say.

"I'm sorry," he started but looked away before continuing, "I tried to stop it. I don't know what's going on but I'm going to stop it." He looked back at Sasuke briefly before he leaned forward and pressed his forehead to the other boy's in an unprecedented move.

The contact was over almost before it began but the barest of touch was felt by both boys. Naruto pulled back and some understanding passed between them like it always did but he had been expecting more confusion from the bedridden boy.

He didn't think too much of it though when he jumped off the bed and let himself out of the room and made his way down to the kitchen for some food, preferably ramen.

* * *

Sasuke was left to think of what just happened. Naruto, the unique, one of a kind blond idiot, had managed to somehow get past his defenses of icy aloofness with his annoying ways. And what was worse, or better, Sasuke didn't know anymore, he couldn't bring himself to care at the moment. He didn't care about a lot at all.

When he had seen his father's death it had been like the massacre all over again. He had gotten his family back only to lose them again. Granted he hadn't seen them in a year and they weren't exactly on genial terms but at least they were alive.

Now though, his father was dead, he wasn't sure where Itachi and mother were, if she was alive or dead. In a sense, he was alone again. His father's death reminded him so clearly of why he had outgrown bonds in his last life.

It was alarming easy to fall back into that attitude of avenger and not give a damn about anyone but getting stronger. Yet here Itachi wasn't the villain. He never was in the first place. Sasuke still wasn't sure if he had been there when their father died or if he had merely been part of a hallucination brought about by his overloaded mind.

It was hard to think now that he had been cruelly reminded that he wasn't a seven year old kid but on the verge of manhood. His life from before intermingled and blended so well with the last year that thinking in terms of one or the other was impossible yet thinking with both mindsets was even harder.

He couldn't just ignore his past experiences but the different factors in this life couldn't be disregarded either. But they didn't mix well at all.

The only constant was Naruto. Only the blond seemed to be never changing and forever by his side. He promptly shoved the thought that he had almost changed that twice in his short life span. That was a matter that would be put to the knife and examined another time; maybe never if he had any say at all.

Thinking of Naruto brought the blonde's parting words back to mind. He had apologized. Never in their dynamic relationship of enemies turned rival turned friends and back to enemies did they ever apologize to each other. It was a given like the sky was naturally blue and the grass was born to be green that every action seemed to be forgiven as soon as it was made.

That meant that he wasn't apologizing for his actions but something else. _I couldn't stop it._ He must have been talking about the fox demon. Had he been aware the entire time? Sasuke recalled his fight with Naruto at the Valley of the End. It wasn't one of his best memories but he clearly recalled with the photographic memory of the sharingan that Naruto hadn't been over taken by the fox. Naruto was in control then.

In comparison, this time it had been all Kyuubi. From the moment those eyes opened that night Sasuke could tell that Naruto wasn't in control.

That issue of the blame of his father's death was something that he had no doubt about. So his vengeance was with the demon. Yet he had learned in his brief interactions with Akatsuki that extracting the demon killed the host. If the host died while the demon was inside, the demon would die as well. It would certainly satisfy him if that damned fox died but that meant he would truly be alone because there was no way to kill the thing without killing Naruto too.

Despite his mind's instinctive need to retreat back to his previous mindset, he had already established sometime in this past year that Naruto was someone that he was going to keep alive. He had never really been able to kill him anyway even when given the chance.

But there was that encounter after three years. In truth during those years he had been conditioning himself to forget the blond. It was surprisingly easy but he refused to let that disturb him. There were plenty of things to distract him from it; training, avoiding unnecessary contact with anything moving or non-moving and other unpleasant things.

So when he saw Naruto, the conditioning had dulled his mind to his friend-turned-enemy's presence and for a moment he actually thought that he could do it; kill Naruto. Thinking back on that, he was glad that the encounter was short lived or else in his developed apathy he might have actually tried.

Sasuke's thoughts ended there at least for that issue. He still couldn't bring himself to think about that last fight without something inside of him hurting.

His eyes wondered the room. All this thinking was giving him a headache. Perhaps it was time to actually sleep. But as he settled his mind to try and sleep the door opened once more to reveal none other than an older vision of Naruto.

_This is how Naruto's going to look like when he's older._ That thought was promptly strangled since it held a pleased note that he wasn't willing to look into. He must be past exhaustion for his brain to muse so randomly.

"You're up, Sasuke," the Fourth spoke as he entered the room followed by Obito. Those two hardly were ever apart; where one was the other was sure to follow if they weren't there already. He regarded the man coolly but remained silent. He knew that this was coming but for some reason being stared down at by the Yondaime wasn't as easy as he thought it would be. It was like being scolded by a father for doing something bad. Sasuke once again felt how easy it was to fall back into old habits.

"I have some questions for you and I'd like your complete honesty please," the blond started off as soon as Obito shut the door.

* * *

A/N:

Ahh! This was really just one long ramble from Naruto and Sasuke's point of view. Plot wise you can guess a few little minor things from what was said but mainly this is just where Naruto and Sasuke become a little bit closer. As for Sasuke's long thought monologue, you all know or suspect that he broods a lot and I just so happened to write it all down.

This is a slight dip in the action before some truths are revealed in the next chapter when the questioning is done. Can you guess what's going to happen? Haha, I don't even know at the moment, we'll see what the two boys are willing to reveal. If you paid attention when you read then you'll have an idea how the two will react.

Thanks again for reading! Sorry SolitaryMovement, this really isn't meant to be a tease but somehow I get the feeling that you're going to think so.


	10. Chapter 10

Wrong Again

Chapter 10

Sorry, this was supposed to be out in a few days only but…I lost my muse for a few days along with my cell phone and thus my peace of mind. I had a lot of trouble with the whole chapter; nothing went the way I planned! But here you are my lovely readers, enjoy!

* * *

It took way too long for ramen to cook in his opinion. The thing said instant ramen, so why the hell did it take _three_ _minutes_? He half pranced around the kitchen agitatedly even though his gaze never left the cup of slowly softening noodles.

There hadn't been anyone in the house as far as he knew. Then again, he didn't check his father's room. To his way of thinking, he was going to avoid his father at all cost until he figured out how to keep the stupid fox from taking over. So far the only thing he could think of was to ask for help while he avoided his dad.

He didn't know anything about seals and all that stuff. A few people came to mind when he thought about it; first of all there was the pervy sage, but he wasn't even suppose to meet him until he was twelve. His problem couldn't wait that long and he didn't know if the sannin was in Konoha. The same went with the old hag; he wouldn't see her too until later. His father could probably handle the seal since he made it and all but that was the last person he wanted to be in contact with Kyuubi.

The other person was … Well, he wasn't an option anymore with anything. His mood slightly drooped at the thought that he could no longer ask Kakashi for anything. The man hadn't been much of a teacher at first but he was there; albeit late and lazy. Thinking of the man he realized he hadn't gone to the Memorial Stone like he wanted to.

Suddenly he decided that he would do that. His case of nostalgia was strong; he had been so focused on Sasuke and the thought that they were finally together that he had forgotten old friends and ties. It wasn't that Sasuke wasn't important but so was everybody else too.

It was different here, some people were here and others weren't; the feeling of his former teen self warred with his newer child self and he didn't like feeling so torn. If there was one thing that he hated, it was indecision. Naruto Uzumaki didn't ever let something as silly as indecision stop him. He was going to be the Hokage! He didn't think his father suffered from that problem so he wouldn't either.

As set as his mind was to wander over to the Stone, he couldn't leave without eating his ramen first. It was so ingrained that he didn't even have to remind himself that his ramen was waiting patiently for him now to be consumed. Several breaths later, he was on his way.

It didn't take him long to reach the place. Kakashi was always there and in their futile attempts to see the face underneath the mask they had come here often to spy on him.

Once again he stood before the stone and his eyes immediately went to the spot where his former teacher's name resided. He wasn't quite sure what to do now. He had never seen or heard Kakashi talking to the stone so words seemed unnatural.

Obito had touched the stone though, lovingly as if he could touch Kakashi himself. Taking a shaking hand he decided to go by example. After all, Obito was fast taking over a spot in his life similar to the white haired man. He would never be Kakashi, but he was another male figure that was much appreciated.

His finger brushed the engraving hesitantly and when no lightening struck him on the spot he passed his finger back over it once more this time more firmly. And just like that he felt himself being drawn into his past; it was weird thinking like that. _Would it be the future or the past since this is my past?_ The thought was confusing so he let it slide; he'd ask someone later like Shikamaru when he got to know him again.

Kakashi wasn't here and neither was the old man who was like a father to him when he was younger. With no one really right now that he could turn to besides Sasuke, he felt quite alone. Just like when he was younger, the other younger him, he couldn't remember a time when he hadn't been able to run to the old man.

Iruka was awesome but he shot down the thought because he knew that until he proved himself, even Iruka hadn't cared much for him. That thought led to another and another with a separate person each time. It was depressing and the longer he stood there, the more abandoned he felt.

Stupid Sasuke, if it weren't for him, this wouldn't have happened. Whatever had happened when they slammed into each other had brought him here to this Konoha where things weren't the same but still everything was going wrong.

Well, he couldn't say everything. His father was alive and so was Obito. Kakashi might not be alive but he had saved his teammate and Obito lived because of him. He was glad he got a chance to meet someone from Kakashi's past.

And then there was Sasuke. There was always Sasuke except this time he hadn't gone all moody and avenger on anyone, yet. And he was nice to him for the most part. He was still a bastard but there had been times when he had caught Sasuke staring at him strangely, but it wasn't a weird strange and he didn't mind it, he just didn't know what it was.

Really the only connection he had to his past, or future, was Sasuke. Even with some differences, he somehow felt right. It was almost like they were the same person; he even went as far as calling him dobe even though they hadn't gone to the academy yet.

_Wait a minute!_ Sasuke didn't call him that until after a year when he went all huffy and bastardy on everyone. Come to think of it, Sasuke never really liked him at all; he didn't show it if he did. This thought led to more thoughts on how Sasuke acted very much like the old one, the real one back when they were genin.

He had taken it for granted how similar they were; he had actually been comforted by that without even realizing why he had been so comfortable with Sasuke. He was stunned. The possibility that Sasuke really _was _Sasuke made his mind draw a blank. It took the span of a few silent moments before his brain caught up to the realization.

"Teme! Why didn't he tell me!?" outraged that the other boy had kept silent about his true self and letting him think he was alone in this Konoha was unforgivable! At least until after he beat the crap out of him.

The only thoughts running through his mind centered on maiming the bastard somehow. Anything else could come later. He wasn't going to admit just yet how relieved he felt when he made the connection.

He wasn't alone after all.

He entered his home and marched straight up the stairs. In his single-mindedness he didn't catch the subtle sign that his father was home nor did he pay attention to the ANBU presence around the manor. To him they were always around for one reason or another. This time it wasn't any different.

At Sasuke's door he turned the knob only to find it locked. Annoyed that Sasuke would dare to lock him out he drew his foot up and with a little boost of chakra, sent the door flying open with a bang.

"Teme! Why didn't you tell me?!" he shouted at the three occupants in the room who had turned to him with wide eyes. The surprise from everyone including himself made him falter. Immediately he regretted not paying attention as his father was now staring at him with a frown. _Great, now he's gonna be suspicious!_

"Err, is this a bad time?" he stammered out even as he started inching his way to the left. In two seconds he would be out the main door. In fact he didn't even give anyone a chance to answer as he turned and darted away before someone could say something.

"Naruto." He stopped dead at the authoritative voice with a cringe but didn't turn around just yet; that someone being his father had spoken, he couldn't just ignore him. Instead he called over his shoulder in a small voice, "Yeah?" Hell that sounded pathetic even to his ears!

"Why don't you join us," Minato spoke evenly. He mentally swore at everyone in his head but he didn't try to escape. His father would catch him if he so much as stepped away from the door any more than he already had. From the way his dad sounded, it looked like Sasuke was in trouble, which meant that he was in trouble as well, if not more so for just kicking in the door like that.

"Naruto." He was jarred out of his thoughts and realized pissing his dad off at the moment wasn't a good idea. Reluctantly he dragged his feet loudly across the hallway floor until he stood once more in the doorway of Sasuke's room. He looked guiltily at Obito and his father; he couldn't yet bring his eyes to look at Sasuke after his outburst.

"Come inside and close the door," his father coaxed patiently as he tried to draw his suddenly skittish son into the room. He slowly complied but every time he tried to shut the door it swung open again. The other three watched him silently, each thinking their own thoughts as he tried again and again.

On the fifth try Minato sighed and spoke up, "That's enough; I don't think the door's going to close anymore Naruto. Why don't we go into my office?" He gave his father a sheepish chuckle and absently scratched the back of his head. He followed Obito while he studiously avoided Sasuke's insistent stare.

When the office door was closed and locked by none other than the Fourth, he knew his well thought out plan of avoidance was screwed. A really bad feeling swelled in his gut when his father told Sasuke and him to sit down while they remained standing.

His dad approached him with an inked brush and began drawing something on his arm. It looked like the same thing that had been on Sasuke's arm. When his father was done he held a hand over it. It glowed for a moment as the seal was activated and his arm tingled. It stayed tingly for a few more seconds before it faded.

* * *

"Now, why don't we get started?" Minato spoke up but there was no cheer in his voice. He regarded the two boys closely. Sasuke was silent and expressionless but Naruto on the other hand was a bundle of twitching nerves. It wasn't a hard guess who would crack first.

"G-Get what started?" Naruto stammered out as he rocked back and forth in his chair and his feet swung erratically in the high chair; the boy hadn't even looked at Sasuke yet.

"Questioning you two," Obito said ominously as he stepped forward toward them, "We've noticed several things that don't quite add up when you do the math." Naruto stopped his fidgeting immediately at his words and Sasuke grew tense. It was then that Minato silently observed the two boys glance discretely at each other.

Whatever communication they had just happened in that split second before they both looked back to Obito. The Hatake carried on as if he hadn't seen the look.

"Sasuke, according to your brother, you haven't been allowed to train yet but on several accounts were seen displaying a skill level of a genin, or even more. You used chakra, showed fighting techniques never taught by the clan or the academy. You knew about the exact tunnel that Fugaku had taken Naruto even when Itachi didn't know.

"You were imprisoned by the clan briefly over a year ago and it was because Mikoto truly believes that you're her son that she snuck you out. Apparently they must have found something otherwise you wouldn't have been kept that long. As far as anyone knows, you would have stayed there and rotted.

"What did they find out about you?" Obito asked as he gauged the boy's reaction to everything he had said. Sasuke had kept his stare level throughout the entire time. He didn't say anything for a moment until he looked over at Naruto. The blond returned his stare but didn't say anything. He seemed to make up his mind and looked back at Obito and Minato.

"I don't know what I told them; they must have drugged me," he started slightly thoughtful. He hadn't even thought about that. What _had_ they discovered? Did they know Itachi was a spy? Is that why everything went wrong? Where did Madara fit in? There was too much that he didn't know about to make any assumptions.

"Mikoto swears that you're her son, yet we have reason to believe otherwise," Minato spoke up to prompt the boy, to keep him talking. He could only imagine what the Uchihas had used to get the boy to talk and not remember anything.

"I…Is she okay? My mother?" the pale boy asked. Obito debated if he should hold that knowledge over the boy's head but decided against it; he had just lost his father too. That display of grief had been quite convincing. They had to know what was going on though.

"She's fine, you might even get to see her if you cooperate with us," he replied. Sasuke seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and he nodded softly.

"Teme! You're not supposed to say anything!" Naruto panicked, "I thought we had an agreement with the whole eye thing!" Sasuke glared at him. Minato eyed his boy; he didn't think he was wrong that Naruto would spill easily.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Sasuke scoffed at the other boy who fumed at the dismissive words and tone. Just as Naruto was about to lunge at the still sitting boy Minato caught him by the back of his jacket and plopped him back down in his chair. With the stern sound of his name he neutralized the squirming blond.

"Who are you?" Obito prodded once the fuming blond had been shushed by his father.

"Uchiha Sasuke, the last surviving Uchiha of Konoha," he held his head high and kept his gaze even with the two adults. Before they could ask just what he meant and before Naruto could protest, he added, "Of my time."

His declaration was met with silence. Naruto gaped at him and even he seemed surprised, but Minato watched him closely and saw a bit of relief in those blue eyes as well. The blond boy moved his mouth as if to speak but once more Sasuke beat him to it.

"Trust me, Naruto." The firm conviction in his voice stilled the blond boy. The staring contest lasted only seconds before Naruto crossed his arms over his chest in a pout. He gave in to Sasuke.

"Fine, but don't you dare lie to make yourself look better!" he sulked and slouched down in his chair with a huff. Minato and Obito observed the interaction interestedly. It seemed they were both in on it, whatever _it_ was. (1)

* * *

It was _his_ Naruto from before; the one that he had grown up with during their genin time and the one who had stuck with him for years afterward. The relief he felt at the moment was incomprehensible; he hadn't killed him.

Naruto was alive and had been with him the entire time. From his reaction, he was pretty sure Naruto hadn't been aware that he was here as well until now.

"Explain." The Fourth's curt order drew his attention from the sulking blond boy. He turned back to Naruto's father. He had had his suspicions about Naruto and he would have bet his life on it but hearing the blonde's last words truly confirmed it.

The only thing to do now was keep the idiot alive and to do so, he would need all the help he could get. Help in this case was none other than the legendary Fourth. He had no doubt the man loved Naruto and would stop at nothing to keep him safe.

"Over a year ago, when I woke up and found myself in my old room with my mother standing before me, I couldn't believe it. Thinking it was a genjutsu, I didn't believe her or my father or Itachi. My family was dead, by Itachi's hand and…By mine."

Minato cocked his head, no doubt thinking about those cryptic words. Perhaps the man was already putting things together. He didn't spend too much time thinking about that; he'd find out anyway.

"The last thing I remembered before waking up that day was setting out to destroy Konoha," he looked at Naruto, "Naruto was there and we fought. In the heat of the fight I don't remember what happened around us but as a last attempt we charged each other with chidori and Rasengan. Everything went black after that."

* * *

When the boy mentioned chidori and Rasengan, both adults' expression showed surprise. No one knew those attacks except himself and Obito. How could these two boys use them?

"No one knows about those jutsus except us!" Obito voiced his own thought. Sasuke appeared unperturbed and he spoke, "Kakashi created it."

"And you taught Jiraiya." Naruto added as he looked at his father's astonished face. Both adults were left gaping. It didn't last long though before anger coursed through him at the mention of his dead student.

"How dare you talk about Kakashi? You weren't even alive!" he grounded out in a low dangerous tone as he turned his anger onto the pale boy. The boy shrank back a bit but held his ground.

"Weren't you listening?" Sasuke asked slightly exasperated despite his wariness at the show of anger. The boy paused for a moment as if he wanted to say something else but changed his mind. No doubt the kid was re-evaluating his tone of voice.

"Look, when I said of my- of our time, I meant it. Naruto and I aren't six year olds. We've been around all this for almost sixteen years now. We've gone to the academy and graduated. Kakashi was our jounin guide," he explained.

"Yeah, and since Kakashi-sensei was training Sasuke bastard Jiraiya trained me and taught me Rasengan!" Naruto joined in once more. He seemed more enthusiastic about telling his story now that Sasuke had broken the ice.

_Jiraiya taught him my move?_ He was once again speechless. Why would his teacher teach Naruto his signature attack? It didn't make any sense.

"Jiraiya?" he asked just to be sure but his stomach was sinking. Naruto nodded and proceeded to spout things about the sannin that he couldn't dispute. He listened and vaguely registered the name Gamabunta. His little boy had summoned the great frog boss himself? _Jiraiya_ let him sign the contract?

"Where the hell was I?" he demanded cutting Naruto off. Immediately he knew something was wrong when the boy went silent and wouldn't look at him.

"Naruto?" He couldn't bear it; he took a step toward his son. His son shrugged and mumbled under his breath.

"What?" he prodded when he couldn't understand a thing the boy said.

"You're dead," he said softly, "You sacrificed your life to seal Kyuubi." To say that he was shocked was an understatement. And here he thought that he wouldn't be surprised anymore once the idea of these two boys being from another time clicked in his mind.

He went back to that day when he saw Naruto barge into his office. He had passed the strange behavior off, but examining the event now it made sense. _You're dead_. The shock and disbelief that he hadn't picked up on slammed into him now.

"I…I," his mouth couldn't form the apology on the tip of his tongue. The thought that Naruto had been alone tore at him. His heart broke at the way his kid was trying to shrug it off.

"It's okay, the old man- the Third was there for the most part. No one told me about you until Jiraiya decided to tell me. H-how you gave your life to save the village and that my mother, Kushina, died giving birth to me. I always thought that I was some nameless kid that no one wanted." Naruto's voice had thickened with each word but everyone could see that he was trying hard to hide it.

It was the name that struck him this time. Obito inhaled sharply and glanced at his teacher. _Kushina was Naruto's mother_?The revelation was beyond words.

Minato couldn't take it anymore. He had placed the seals onto the two boys thinking that the truth that the seals would reveal would enlighten him as to what the hell was going on but now he wasn't so sure if he could take it. His son was from another time and was fighting against his best friend. He was supposedly dead and Jiraiya had to teach him the things that _he_ was looking forward to teaching.

And Kushina was Naruto's mother? That thought alone kept repeating itself in his head and it was impossible yet he was dead according to his son. Oh god, his son! His biological son, not just in name but in blood as well. Kushina. Naruto. He couldn't take it anymore! He needed to be alone to sort his thoughts and emotions out.

"Stay with them," he rasped out to Obito. Then he was gone with his Hirashin leaving behind two confused boys and a torn student.

* * *

A/N:

Man, that was hard to write. I'm so so sorry if the constant switch in perspectives confuses anyone. I placed lines where there was a clean break between POV's but I might have slipped here and there in other places. It's just so hard to tell it from one person when there's so much going on with all the other people and I want to cram all their views in at one time for the full effect. I hate having to go back and write up how someone else thought about the same thing. Hence my reason for shifting so much.

Minato's taking it hard, poor guy. I always wondered what he would do if he found out how Naruto lived because of his choice.

Anyway, originally where I placed the (1) was where I had wanted to stop because I really didn't want to deal with the interrogation. But then I realized that you guys would have somehow found a way to kill me since I had promised that this chapter would be the chapter of the interrogation. So here it is. This is the main part; the next part will be a general overview for Obito as he continues to ask questions. I figured if I stopped here and posted, you guys wouldn't have to wait another few days for an update.

Would you rather have short chapters and faster updates or long chapters with unknown amounts of time in between? It's a hard question that I ask myself every time I sit down and type things up. Thanks for reading everyone! XD


	11. Chapter 11

Wrong Again

Chapter 11

Hey! I'm alive! There are so many plot bunnies running around in my head at the moment. I just started a new story too! That's bad because school has started so I won't have as much time to write everything out anymore… Hence the really long delay. Sorry!

Anyway, this is out for **Hiding From Lies** to keep the evil elmos away and for **Absentminded Dreamer 1310** for his/her wonderful review. And thanks to everyone else, your reviews made my day XD.

* * *

Minato stood at the edge of the cool spring that he had come to call his secret hiding place when he wanted time to himself to think. He had come here when Sarutobi had spoken to him about nominating him for Hokage. He had also come here when he had cut down on all the options of defeating the fox demon and was left with his last plan of action.

The fox had been looming in the distance for days with its red chakra creating a red haze that simulated a sunset that never went away. As the fox had come closer and closer, lives had been lost trying to delay the demon from reaching the village but it had all been in vain.

He had left the clearing with resolute conviction about what he was going to do, yet when he had arrived back into the tower, the Third and Jiraiya had told him otherwise.

Minato let out a sigh and he plopped down onto his butt and fell onto his back with his arms thrown wide. He never thought that if he had gone through with his original plan that he would perhaps regret anything. But seeing his son, his _real_ son, talk about his life as if he hadn't ever been a part of it hurt him deeply.

To think that had this not happened, he would have never known that Naruto was his child. And Kushina! She was Naruto's mother? He couldn't believe it; how could he not have known?

Thinking back on them it had never occurred to him that she might have been pregnant. There was just so much going on. When she had finally confronted him that day he had snapped and so had she. He hated this memory but looked back anyway to see if he had missed any telltale sign.

"_Minato?" Kushina yelled through the door to his home office. He hadn't seen her in over a week since they last fought. Kakashi had been distant with him and he hadn't seen Obito lately either. Minato was never around and if he wasn't at the office then he was locked up in his room. Kushina just couldn't take it anymore._

_He knew she was angry at him for not making a little time from her. She knew he had duties and there was so much crap going on but he couldn't make time for her with how stressed out he was. The laughing and easy going man Kushina fallen in love with had turned into a serious grim man that she didn't recognize or even like._

_It didn't help that her mood swings had earned her probation from missions for the time being. She had attacked an annoying client and a team mate as well. She hadn't been sent on a mission in over a week! Hence the reason that they had fought last time was when he reprimanded her on her conduct._

_He hadn't answered her call. She knew he most likely didn't want to talk about anything nor did he have time. With all the shit going on since he became Hokage it was hard to make time for her or anything else. She was being unreasonable; she was being selfish._

_The door opened anyway and she came in. He didn't bother looking at her or acknowledging her. He could feel the angry thuds of her foot steps as she marched toward him. Small hands slammed down onto his desk and dislodged several scrolls and an empty glass that clattered to the floor._

_Only at the sound of breaking glass did he finally look up with an annoyed scowl._

"_What?" he snapped. He didn't have time for her temper tantrums and he sure as hell wasn't in the mood to be patient with whatever ordeal she had gotten into this time. Just because he was the Hokage didn't mean he could keep bailing her out of things. She was lucky she was just on probation for pulling that stunt last week. Any other person and they'd have been arrested and detained until they were deemed fit to return to duty._

"_Don't you what me assface!" she shouted at him, "I just wanted to see you! You've been avoiding me!" She returned his glare and pointed an accusing finger at him. He didn't relent._

"_I don't have time for you. Can't you see that I'm busy?" he held onto his temper. These days his fuse was short especially with the Uchiha clan dodging his every decision and driving him to wanting to strangle someone._

"_You're always busy! Can't you just take a day off? An hour?" she pressed but held back the tears and hurt that threatened to show at the callousness of his words. How could he say that to her? He had promised her that he always had time for her back when they first met. Why was she being so stupid? She never cried yet she had cried more times these past few days than she ever had in her life!_

"_Just because I'm Hokage doesn't mean I get to do whatever I want, Kushina," his patience was running thin. His words made it worse as her anger dropped to an expression of hurt. He saw the tears gather in her eyes and he hurt but standing firm in his choice he didn't soften up and give in. She had to understand his point of view and if he didn't stand firm then she never would._

"_That's just an excuse!" she yelled as her anger resurfaced. After all, she wouldn't cry in front of him, not if he was going to be a jerk. Minato held onto the last of his patience._

"_What do you _want_?" he grounded out. Those words were the final straw it seemed for her. She snapped and shouted at him, "I want you! Damn it Minato!"_

"_You have me!"_

"_No I don't! The fucking village does! You don't spend time with me; you're always doing stuff that you won't tell me about! For all I know you could be screwing your secretary with as much time as you spend with her!"_

"_Is this what this is about? You think I'm cheating on you!?"_

"_No!"  
_

"_Then what?" he didn't bother to lower his voice as he lost the last of his patience. It made him mad that she didn't trust him and for a spontaneous burst he wanted to hurt her._

"_What about you? How do I know you're not whoring yourself out?" he bit out. Kushina's eyes widened in surprise and she sputtered but he continued, "You think I don't know about Haruo? Why you punched him? You think-"_

_He was sent flying by her punch; his chair was overturned and more papers and scrolls went flying. Several items fell off the shelf behind him where he has crashed._

"_You son of a bitch!" she roared at him, "Don't you ever fucking talk to me like that! You wouldn't know anything since you're never around!" She slammed a chakra laden fist onto his desk and smashed the wood. With an angry heave she lifted the desk and shoved it over._

"_Fine!! You don't have time for me!? Don't worry, I won't _ever bother_ you again!" she shouted and slammed out of the room. _

Minato rubbed his eyes and groaned. She had been moody and more angry than usual. There had been more hurtful words thrown around without care but in the heat of the moment he had forgotten some of what he or she had said. He had snapped at her and accused her of sleeping with her teammate.

It had turned out that the bastard had tried to force himself on her. He had found out months later from gossip. Ironically enough he had made time to find the bastard and lay a good one on him. That disgrace would never be a ninja again.

But it had been too late. He hadn't seen her since she stormed out of his house that day. With the damned clan rising up against him he had been too distracted to pay much attention. Then there was that whole shit with Orochimaru and Kakashi as well. The boy had been distant and despite his tries to talk to the boy the teen still remained aloof.

It wasn't until it was almost too late that he had found out what had been going on. Familiar rage welled up inside him but he shoved it away. He didn't have time for that particular memory. Orochimaru had paid for what he did with his life but every now and then he wished he could summon that bastard back and kill him all over again.

His mood completely dropped at the thought that he hadn't saved Kakashi. Maybe if he hadn't been so caught up in everything. If only he had met up with Kakashi like he said he would. So many different scenarios came to mind but in the end he couldn't change what had happened. His regrets were so strong; he fought the urge to just curl up and cry.

If only he had gone after Kushina right away; if not right away then at least within the next day or two. If only he hadn't stayed late at the office to argue with Fugaku and met up with Kakashi instead.

Naruto's words came back to him. Kakashi was alive in the other world that his son apparently came from. They hadn't mentioned Obito and the Hatake never mentioned that either boy knew who he was. Naruto also said that the Third was alive. So a life for a life then?

His mind tried to wrap around the logic of it all but he found it impossible. Just what did one do when there were people from another time? And not just anyone, his son and his son's best friend.

He hadn't stayed long enough to find out why the two were fighting. Now the unanswered questions gnawed at him. He could deal with his regrets later; at the moment he needed to finish interrogating the two boys to see just what they knew.

Then maybe, just maybe, he would know what to do about all of this.

* * *

Left alone with Naruto and Sasuke who weren't really Naruto and Sasuke yet they were Obito wasn't quite sure what to do. He could keep questioning them but they'd have to do it all over again anyway with Minato. He had the feeling Minato would be back anyway and he'd want more answers.

But for now, he had a little bit of curiosity that he needed to satisfy. So far neither boy had mentioned him at all. Hell, Sasuke didn't even know who he was. He had said that he was the last Uchiha. There was a whole clan of living breathing jerks so how could he be the last? Unless…when he said that Itachi had killed his family, had he meant the entire clan?

That was impossible! He had to admit the kid was damn good but to take out the entire clan? That was unheard of! No way; Obito didn't believe it, couldn't believe it.

He had to know that much at least. He eyed the pale boy who was currently in a staring contest with Naruto. The two seemed to be communicating with their eyes again but he couldn't be sure since last time it hadn't worked as well as Naruto thought it did.

"Sasuke," he started to get the boy's attention, "When you said that Itachi and you," he hesitated on that part, "Killed your family, did you mean just your parents?" Sasuke broke the staring contest to gaze upon his cousin. His eyes were tired and way too old. How could he not have seen through these two boys before?

"Itachi killed the entire clan, leaving me alive," the boy said in a dead voice and he added for clarification, "I killed Itachi." Obito was in shock. So his thought had been correct then.

"That's impossible!" he denied the claim yet how those eyes could lie he wasn't sure. Sasuke merely shrugged and said, "He had help from someone." Obito perked up at this tidbit of information as did Naruto. The blond boy raised a brow and opened his mouth to speak but Sasuke beat him to it.

"I'd rather say this only once," he made his case. Obito agreed; this was a tough subject so he let the boy remain silent. He decided to ask the other question on his mind.

"So how come you guys don't know me? Surely Sasuke you would have seen me at one point or another before Itachi, you know," he pressed. Sasuke reacted with a shrug.

"I don't recall ever meeting anyone like you nor did I ever hear anything about someone named Obito." His cold words deflated the pale man's hopes. So he turned to Naruto who only shook his head in the negative.

"Kakashi never mentioned anything about his original team," Naruto confirmed. Obito's hope plummeted once more. The chance that he had been alive at all in their world was fast receding. Naruto, blunt as ever, jumped up as an idea hit him.

"Hey! I don't even know why I didn't think of it before!" he exclaimed excitedly. Sasuke merely raised a brow and asked, "What, dobe?"

"Shut it teme! I bet you'll be jealous that you didn't think of this first!" he taunted and proceeded to dance around in victory. Obito sighed; the boy was so easily distracted.

"What is it?" he asked the blond. Naruto stopped dancing and glanced at him with a confused expression, "What?"

"What did you come up with?" Sasuke asked exasperated.

"Oh," he chuckled as he forgot that he hadn't told them yet, "Well, you know Kakashi-sensei has the sharingan thingy, and since Obito was his teammate, do you think that's how he got it?" Sasuke's brows furrowed in thought and he nodded slightly.

"Yeah, I think so," he said slowly as he eyed Obito. Obito however was confused at the conversation. What sharingan? He'd never heard anyone call it a thingy before either. And Kakashi wasn't an Uchiha; he was a Hatake, a clan of another completely different blood line limit.

"What?" he asked, "What are you guys talking about?"

To enlighten the confused man, Sasuke took it upon himself to explain.

"Kakashi has a sharingan in his left eye. It's not his, not originally anyway. What Naruto is saying is that maybe you might have given the sharingan to Kakashi."

His mind was reeling. _I gave him my sharingan?_ The thought was hard to process. Why the hell would he do that? Not unless he had died but then his clan would have taken care of his body so that the blood line limit wouldn't fall into enemy hands. Not that Kakashi was anywhere close to being the enemy. And thinking about it, he'd rather Kakashi have it then it going back to the damned clan anyway.

"Do you know why?" he asked in hopes that they would know. Both boys shook their heads and he knew, for sure, the only way he'd have given his sharingan away was if he had died.

So he really was dead then. No wonder the two brats didn't know who he was. Wow, that sucked. No wonder Minato had left. Knowing that he hadn't made it long enough to even meet the two boys left him stunned. To think that his counterpart never…never mind he wouldn't think about it right now.

He had so many questions. Minato needed to get his butt back now so that they could get all the details out of these boys. In the meantime he had to keep an eye on them. God help him if anything happened. Last time he had been told to keep an eye on them one had been kidnapped. That had not been good at all.

He briefly toyed with the idea of activating Minato's three-pronged kunai but decided against it. He would come back when he was ready. It wouldn't do to summon him when he wasn't expecting it.

* * *

"Alright, let's begin." The man spoke and he closed his eyes to begin the process of searching the dead's mind. The preparations had been long and hard especially considering the state that the body was in. Whatever had gotten to the body sure as hell made a mess of it.

His subordinates along with several medics had to piece the body back together; the most important part was re-attaching the head properly back onto the body. With the Uchiha clan in shame, there were no restrictions with what they could do to the body.

No one stood in the way; the only one who could was now the body that they were going to use. The Hokage had ordered Fugaku's body to be tested and his mind raided to find information. With all the mess going on, who knew what they would find in the man.

* * *

**A/N:**

I rewrote this damn chapter three times. I started it off with Naruto and Sasuke telling Obito what happened in their lives but then it just sounded so boring and blah blah so I deleted it and tried again but with the same results. Then I figured I'd go to Minato and let you guys in on what kinda happened with Kushina and Kakashi.

So I revealed stuff and hinted at stuff! Hope you like it; I really had trouble with this chapter. Thanks so much for reading everyone! XD


	12. Chapter 12

Wrong Again

Chapter 12

Oh my god! I'm so sorry for the long wait! There really is no excuse aside from the fact that I'm _really_ lazy and my muse hated winter so it took a vacation to the Bahamas. But anyway; for reviewer who signed as Tidmag, thanks for the review! No, I'm not pouting or quitting the story. I'm glad that you brought it up though; it really did make me think about what I wrote and I realize that I really haven't given anyone any kind of clue as to where the heck this story is going. I think the only thing I know for sure is what I wrote in the summary for this story. Wow, that answer was really vague as well. I guess I like being vague and mysterious XD

Anyway, yeah, if anyone's confused about anything, do let me know. I always answer reviews even if it's simply a request to update more. I usually wait a couple days to re-read the chapter and make sure it's good before posting but I'm already late so I apologize for any grammar and spelling mistakes. There are a lot of POV changes and flashbacks so hopefully you don't get too confused.

Here's the next chapter, enjoy!

* * *

Naruto wasn't sure what was taking his dad so long to get back but Obito had ordered the two boys to get some sleep since it didn't look like the Hokage would be coming back tonight. He shuffled to the room that he shared with Sasuke. After climbing into his bed and staring at Sasuke as he got into his, Obito turned off the lights and closed the door.

The two boys sat in the darkened silence for several minutes before Naruto whispered.

"I'm glad you're here," his words were barely audible but Sasuke heard them nonetheless. A couple seconds later the pale boy returned a low grunt to acknowledge him. Content to take that as an affirmative that he felt the same way Naruto hopped off his bed and made his way over to Sasuke.

He shoved the other boy over and crawled into the bed. Sasuke didn't resist when shoved and even held the covers open for the blond to scramble under. Safe and warm under the covers Naruto turned to gaze at Sasuke whose dark eyes returned the scrutiny. In the time that they had spent together things had changed; spending every available moment with each had made them even more dependent on the other's presence.

It was the first time they had been alone together since the whole Kyuubi incident. That felt like ages ago to Naruto and he wasn't even sure when it had happened except that it changed a crap load of things. Here he thought that life was going good for once but then things had to happen and now he wasn't sure what to do. His thoughts were rambling and out of order so to clear his mind a bit he decided he'd ask Sasuke. After all they were in this together.

"Hey, so what do you think is going to happen?" he asked. His best friend didn't answer for the longest time; just when Naruto thought he wouldn't get a reply Sasuke spoke.

"I don't know. Too many different things have happened that we can't rely on our past to make decisions," he said in a hushed voice. Thinking that Obito might still be outside Naruto kept his voice down too as he whispered a soft 'yeah' in response.

It hadn't been the answer that he was expecting but as smart as Sasuke was sometimes, he didn't always know everything either. Naruto stayed silent for a while but he didn't sleep. His mind had decided to stray from the issue of what to do and focus on the last thing that he remembered before waking up in the woods.

In truth, in the heat of the moment he couldn't remember much except for that last instance where his Rasengan collided with Sasuke's chidori. The sounds of both jutsus had been deafening. The swooshing of his compressed chakra raged against the crackling of a thousand birds until he hadn't been able to hear anything.

He remembered seeing Sasuke though despite the intense light. The look of concentration on the other boy's face had been clear as day; he could still see it even now. The drawn hand that came forward at the last second to collide with his Rasengan was an overpowering sight. But in the end he had been over taken not by the intimidating jutsu but the fact that history had repeated itself once more.

The first time around he hadn't held back. He had promised Sakura that he would bring the bastard back even if he had to break all the bones in his body. No, there hadn't been any mercy then.

Thinking on it now, he knew why he had dropped his arm just a fraction; enough to let the chidori ram past and cut into him once more. He was tired; tired of chasing Sasuke, tired of trying to beat sense into him when it hadn't worked in the first place. Did Sasuke not really want to belong to Konoha that badly? Had it been him? His resolve, his nindo, had faltered.

These thoughts plagued him now as he laid there unable to find slumber in the comfort of Sasuke's presence. As if he could see the emotions on his face even in the dark, Sasuke nudged him and asked, "What?"

Naruto hesitated; he had always wanted to know if avenging his family, if _killing_ the rest of his family had been more important than enjoying what family he had left. He searched those dark eyes and even in the limited light he could see patience as he waited for an answer.

He speculated at how different Sasuke was now. Would Sasuke have been like this had Itachi never killed the clan? Of course he was still snobby and arrogant but on top of that he had patience and was more caring than the Sasuke of old ever could be. This life so far had shown that without the need for vengeance, Sasuke really wasn't too bad.

So did it matter that he ask now when he could clearly see?

"Just thinking about how everything could have been…" he started off slowly and when Sasuke only kept staring at him with those same dark eyes he continued, "…back then if things had happened something like now." He finished his sentence knowing that although it didn't make sense Sasuke would understand what he was saying.

_Without Itachi in the way taunting Sasuke's every move…_

Would Sasuke never have left the village in the first place?

"Would you have returned?" The words slipped out unexpectedly. He wasn't even sure why he asked. In the life of old Sasuke had achieved his revenge but still he refused to come home. What more was there?

Sasuke didn't answer. There was a lot that Naruto didn't know about his precious village; things that just might shatter that unbreakable loyalty of his. What would his idiot think if he knew that the Konoha he loved had been built on blood and lies?

It took a while before either boy could fall asleep.

* * *

"_Let us begin…" spoke Fugaku as he sat in the seat of honor before the more prominent members of the proud Uchiha clan. The war was officially over and thus began their plans. Like all other Uchihas, Fugaku believed that the clan was all powerful and above all else, the most important. If it weren't for the clan, Konoha would not be the village it was._

_It had begun as far back as his forefathers. Ever since the Senju had defeated Madara the clan had been placed in a humiliating second. Had it not been for the Nidaime's attempt to mollify the disgraced clan with the position of the police department there would have been no telling where they would be now. Perhaps they would have bided their time and rose to power once more._

_In the end though, the clan head had made the decision to submit to the Hokage and bid its time. Now, Fugaku would bring Madara's actions to fruit. Their forefather had the right idea but against Senju Hashirama the odds had not been in his favor. Today the Senju were a dying clan with no one significant left besides Tsunade of the Sannin. But for such an imposing woman, her current location was unknown as she had fled Konoha in grief and anger._

_Fugaku didn't expect any opposition from the last Senju. Not since the death of the White Fang could anyone stand up to the clan. The champion of Konoha was rivaled by no one; even Jiraiya claimed to have lost to the Hatake and with his son in shame there was no reason to worry about the Hatake clan at all._

_But frustratingly where one man fell, another rose to take his place. Fugaku's blood boiled at the mere thought of the man. His pleasing looks and easy nature easily disguised the prodigy underneath. Fugaku would admit grudgingly that the man was good; too good as he stood in the way of the clan. Honored as the war hero throughout the entire war and feared by enemies all over, the man was the Hokage's favorite shinobi._

_Namikaze Minato._

_A man of no significant lineage or ties; a loser through the academy who Jiraiya saw fit to take under his wings, a man whose calligraphy was barely legible yet was infamous for his seals and original jutsus, Namikaze was a man to be reckoned with._

_He hated him. _

_Fugaku stayed up on many nights plotting the downfall of the man. Rumors flew around fast; the Third favored him as the next Hokage and the villagers and ninja alike approved of their adored hero. He couldn't let the man become Hokage. With him in charge his plans would be severely limited. He couldn't fight the man one-on-one either; Namikaze may not be Senju, but he might as well be. _

_So began the reason for this clan meeting in the underground catacombs of the Uchiha compound. They were going to find a way to bring Namikaze down._

* * *

"Wake up, dobe," he shook the sleeping blond who had curled up on his chest some time during the night. His shaking only elicited a groan and a plea for a few more minutes. Sasuke carefully ran his hands through the golden locks, marveling at how soft yet anti-gravity they were. An almost tender look passed over his face as he contemplated the boy.

Needless to say he hadn't slept well as he pondered Naruto's words from last night. He knew Madara wanted the fox demon although he didn't know why or cared. Naruto's father was still his best bet on how to keep Naruto safe. To do so he would need to tell him about Madara and the Akatsuki. He'd need to tell them about the Third and the elders' decision.

But most of all, he needed to get Naruto off of him so that he could start training. Just the thought of his skinny arms and legs and low chakra level was enough for him to want to jump off the nearest cliff. It was like being a kid again; which he was, but he shouldn't be but he was.

Sasuke shook his head; Naruto was rubbing off on him. With that scary thought that he might actually start acting like his blond idiot he shoved the boy off of him. With a startled cry Naruto landed on the ground in a panicked state.

"Naruto, shut up," he said to alleviate the blonde's confusion. Naruto looked up at Sasuke who was glaring at him with wide eyes. His heart rate started to slow down and a sour mood filled his face as he realized he wasn't being attacked but had been kicked out of bed instead.

"Stupid bastard. What the hell was that for?" he shouted a second after he lunged at Sasuke. Before Sasuke could even comprehend that they were about to fight his arms had already come up to defend against Naruto's attack. Moments later they were a tangle of feet and fists as they rolled around the bed and soon onto the floor.

The fight was instinctive despite how long they had gone without physically fighting; it came back to them as naturally as breathing. It was as if their bodies knew exactly what to do in relation to the other. Adrenaline pumped through their veins and their world narrowed in until nothing existed except each other.

"What the hell!?"

The shout went unheeded as the two boys continued to fight. It wasn't until a pair of tan arms yanked the two apart that they snapped out of their fight. Breathing hard but feeling exhilarated, they calmed down almost as fast as they had gotten excited. Minato scowled at the two boys as he wondered just what the heck had gotten into them. Thinking about how they said they had fought last time he had panicked that it was happening again.

"Naruto! Sasuke! What the heck do you two think you're doing?" he demanded once more when the two boys remained silent; he gave them a shake for good measure.

"Fighting," Naruto admitted sullenly as he avoided his dad's eyes. Sasuke looked away as well. Minato could do nothing so he let them go but not before imparting some commands.

"Get dressed; we're leaving right after breakfast." He nudged the two boys toward their closet before he disappeared out the room. They looked at each other wondering where the heck they could be going. Not willing to upset his dad Naruto silently went about getting ready.

The two boys came down the stairs slowly not quite sure what to expect. They found the Fourth moving around the kitchen as he dished some eggs and rice onto a couple plates. Quietly Naruto and Sasuke sat down and slowly began eating awkwardly. Never had they seen the care-free man so serious before and they didn't know how to act.

No words were exchanged during the terse meal and soon they were escorted to the tower by the Fourth. So far there hadn't been any sign of Obito; Sasuke wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. As they made their way there he noted how solemn and quiet the village appeared today. Granted he hadn't left the manor since Kyuubi and Madara's attack nor was he sure how much time had passed since then.

A glance at Naruto confirmed that Naruto had picked up on the absence of life as well. Had this been how the village was back when Itachi murdered the clan? The tower came into view and his attention was directed to the higher level of security. Instead of the usual chuunin there were ANBU in full view guarding the entrance.

With the Hokage before them they zipped through the sentry and headed in. However to their surprise, the Fourth didn't lead them up the stairs to the main office but went past the mission desk and through an obscured door beyond it. Both boys darted glances at each other in confusion.

They had never noticed this door before. Going through it they saw that it led underground.

* * *

"_Tomorrow is the day that Namikaze officially becomes the Hokage." Fugaku's glare was leveled at everyone present. Despite their opposition and moves to block the man from gaining the position, they had been overridden by the rest of the council and the Third. _

_Fugaku himself and Danzou had even met the Third by himself to persuade the man's choice. Danzou had the gall to suggest himself for the position; that half-dead cripple. Even still, the old decrepit would have been better than the blasted blond himself. Hirozen had shot them down without preamble. _

_His words; Orochimaru had tried unsuccessfully to dissuade his choice, even going so far as to play the wounded party of being overlooked. The Third had remained unmoving to their cause and had dismissed them. Leaving in frustration had been the only recourse when the subtle threat of being physically removed by guards was as clear as the man's choice._

_So now they had to contend with not just the Third but Namikaze as well who would be considered the Fourth as of tomorrow. Assassination had been mulled over numerous times but the man was crafty and hard to pinpoint. There had been minor attempts but nothing short of rushing him with the entire sharingan wielding clan would stop him. _

_For now the clan was reduced to hiding in secret underground like rats while the village went on. Fugaku's blood raged at the circumstances. _

"_We should kill him." Matsuda, a fairly new member to the secret meetings spoke up out of turn. His words were met with sneers and disregard. Fugaku laid his chilling eyes upon the stupid fool. _

"_How do you suppose we do that?" he asked icily. The youth was cowed slightly but with the attention of the clan head on him it was his chance to prove his worth to the clan._

"_We could hire someone," he suggested. When the clan head merely arched a disinterested brow he stammered but continued, "Anyone from Iwa would jump at the chance-"_

"_To get massacred. Iwa couldn't stand up to him and neither can you," one of the high elders from Fugaku's left interrupted, "The power of the clan combined could kill him but where would we be then?" _

_Matsuda had nothing new as the idea had been thrown around countless times before. But combine that with what the elder had voiced, that the clan's power could crush Namikaze. Who had the clan's power but would not be related to the clan? The wheels in Fugaku's mind began turning. He'd have to look into it as an idea formed. For now, onto other matters._

* * *

After going underground, they had lost track of where they were. The dizzying turns and identical walls of rough stone made for memorizing the maze impossible. Who knew that all this was down below Konoha? His dad had yet to say a word to them and his anxiety increased with every passing second. He had the urge to grab hold of his dad's coat and hang on for dear life. God knows he didn't want to get lost down here.

It was creepy as it reminded him of the tunnels where Kyuubi resided. Minus the water, the atmosphere was damp and dark with the only light coming from torches placed at certain intervals. It didn't take much to imagine just how much creepier it'd be if there were screams coming from the darkened halls.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

Naruto jumped and clung to his father's back as he stared around wildly for the source of the scream. The ghostly wail faded down a corridor to their left. As it disappeared his dad reached for him and pulled him forward into his arms. Without so much as a smile he rubbed his frightened son's back and explained.

"We're in the underground catacombs of Konoha. Very few ever know about this place. Most interrogations are held down here as well as long time prisoners. It's also a grave for preserving certain bodies." His eyes watched both boys and he took note of the way they both went stiff.

If he hadn't been nervous before, he sure as hell was now. What was his dad thinking bringing them down here? Didn't he believe them? Were they going to be thrown into prison and tortured? The next instinct that came to mind was grab Sasuke and run. Maybe this wasn't his dad or this was a dream or something. Did he really wake up today?

He looked at Sasuke but couldn't discern anything from the boy's stoic face. What was he thinking?

Sasuke had nearly jumped at the Fourth as well; the man had grown to be more of a father figure than ever to him. Too bad Naruto beat him to it though. When the man spoke though in that automaton voice with no inflection his insides grew cold.

Memories, flashes of his time with Orochimaru came back to him with startling clarity. Cold cells, angry whispers, pain that wouldn't mar perfection; mentally shuddering he forced those thoughts away. He'd made a choice, there was no getting rid of that portion of his life no matter how far into the past he had gone.

The Fourth continued moving again but not before offering a hand to Sasuke. He looked at the hand; large and tan, warm and safe. His eyes travelled up the arm and to those blue eyes so similar to Naruto; how could he not trust those eyes?

The cold seeped into him and the hand tempted him. He looked at Naruto, safely nuzzled in his father's other arm with those same blue eyes staring at him, waiting for his move. Was he really safe? The question of truth; was he really willing to put Naruto and his safety in the hands of this man?

For so long now it had been only him and his vengeance with Naruto tagging along stubbornly. Today Naruto was still with him but his vengeance had disappeared with Itachi's reappearance. What else was there besides Naruto?

For the seconds that it took his mind to ponder all these things the decision had already been made. He took the offered hand because it brought him closer to the only thing he had left.

* * *

"_Naruto."_

"_Huh?" the boy looked up at his teacher expectantly. Jiraiya had been pretty quiet the last couple of hours. He hadn't even been writing his books. The man was staring intently at him as he held a pen in one hand and a manuscript in another._

"_That's the name of the hero in my first book." Despite the youth's confused look the white haired man continued._

"_And also the name that your parents decided to name you." The cup of instant ramen nearly dropped from his hands as his still sluggish mind caught onto the words. His thoughts came to a standstill and the only thing on his mind were the words 'your parents'._

"_W-What are you talking about, ero sannin?" he stammered out. No one had ever mentioned his parents and while as a kid he had always wondered why the other kids had larger people who looked like them take them home, he had never thought to have a pair of his own._

_Knowing that he had been unwanted and parentless from the start was fine, but hearing that he actually had parents, who wanted to name him fish cakes, was unreal. That pervy sage better not be pulling a joke. Little did he know just how much Jiraiya wasn't joking._

* * *

They entered another identical corridor but instead of extending on unforeseen it lead to a door. Completely un-descriptive and plain the door was pushed open before the Fourth even reached it. Inside a masked figure bowed respectively to him before moving out of the way to let the trio inside. He paid little heed to the way Naruto squirmed around in his arm trying to see everything at once nor the way Sasuke seemed to have lost what color he had at the sight before them.

"Father," came the almost inaudible whisper from the pale boy. His hand tightened around Minato's hand and he stopped walking. Frozen to the icy floor he couldn't pull his eyes away from the sight of his father lying immobile in the middle of an intricate seal. The man's naked body held a deathly hue; pallid and grey with gashes everywhere.

Stitches and staples covered the man in parody of train tracks. Never had he ever seen the man look so… Sasuke tore his gaze away.

"Breathe, Sasuke," the Fourth soothed. Suddenly his throat opened up and he could breathe. When had he stopped breathing? His breaths came in harsh pants and he clung to the lifeline at his side with all his might.

Naruto wiggled out of his father's arm and slide down to hug Sasuke. He didn't know who the man was at first but seeing Sasuke's reaction and looking closer at the dead body he recognized the telltale hair and pale skin. It was Sasuke's father.

The other boy was having trouble breathing and Naruto could do nothing as he tried to comfort him. He looked up at his father helplessly as his dad placed a hand on both their heads in a soothing gesture.

There wasn't any time to be soft. When the report came that they had finished their interrogation Minato had stopped here instead of returning to the manor to finish questioning the two boys. What the hunter nins had found had been disturbing, more so than what the two had revealed so far.

Fugaku, that bastard, hadn't pulled any stops when he had questioned Sasuke. All night he had listened to what the hunter nins had discovered. He pulled the boys closer to him. Today they would get to the bottom of this.

* * *

"_Today, we will begin preparations. Namikaze will be destroyed once and for all!" Fugaku claimed and the clan cheered. It had taken quite some time to finalize the Hokage's downfall but in a few weeks it would all be worth it. Beside him, the red eyed man smiled._

* * *

A/N:

And there you have it folks! Another installment to Wrong Again that took forever!! I'm so sorry! I've been flopping around trying to write this chapter; I knew what I was going to do, it was just a matter of putting it together in a way that would work! Even now I'm tempted to go back and change some things but I won't, because that means this wouldn't be out today. Anyway, it's a lot to take in with all the flashbacks and all but it's the same that's happening to Sasuke and Naruto so feel their pain! There's more Naruto and Sasuke time too! I hope things are starting to come together for everyone! I need to sleep now…


	13. Chapter 13

Wrong Again

Chapter 13

**A/N: Sorry, messed up the editing and switching so this isn't a new chapter, but there have been corrections. 7/2/09**

My apologies. My only excuse is that I don't like this chapter and had the hardest time writing it. And if you spot any errors, let me know, I got sick of correcting things half way through. I'll get to them eventually though. Sorry.

* * *

"Hokage-sama," the white masked ninja bowed low in respect as the rest of the ninja present did the same. Minato inclined his head in response to the display. Here, underneath Konoha, beyond the knowledge of most of its inhabitants, lay the secrets of the village. Few ever made it down here and even less know about it aside from those who guard the vital core of Konoha.

Kakashi had been assigned patrol down here. Konoha's foundations weren't always pristine; the ghostly wails attested to it. Against his wishes the boy had been exposed to too many cruel things too early in life. What was a thirteen year old doing underground guarding tombs and secrets too old to be remembered? Minato stared hard at the body on the floor. Just like Orochimaru they used this place; no matter that it was done in the name of the village, they used it nonetheless.

He had discovered too late about Orochimaru using the catacombs to advance his nefarious desires for immortality. By the time he had found out, Kakashi had already been marred by that despicable bastard. His eyes hardened; every single time he thought about what he could have done, it hurt and it made him furious.

"Dad?"

The tiny voice whispered uncertainly up at him, breaking the memory's hold on his attention. That was the past; he let out a breath and gave Naruto a slight squeeze to let him know that he heard him. Kakashi's ghost would never fade away so easily though but he stepped forward and with him the two boys followed his lead however slowly.

"Do you know who this is?" he asked to no one but Sasuke knew who he was addressing. With a steeled heart he nodded and whispered 'my father'.

Minato nodded, giving no other indication whether he was pleased or not with his answer. For what felt like forever to the two boys the Fourth finally broke free of them and walked around the dead body. Instantly they clung to each other and stared at the blond man as if entranced by the way he moved. As he moved further away, the walls of the room seemed to grow larger until they began to feel inadequately small and vulnerable. The dead body of Fugaku laid between them, a stark reminder of what had happened not too long ago. When his eyes landed upon his father, Sasuke couldn't find the strength to look away. Like metal to a magnet he stared at the unmoving figure that was his father.

With a stern face Minato spoke again, "Do you know what he has done?" Sasuke frowned in confusion; he wasn't sure where the Hokage was going with his questions. The question was rhetoric though as the Fourth continued to speak.

"Uchiha Fugaku, age forty-two, head of the Uchiha clan now deceased; guilty of treason against the village," his words echoed in the cavern while everyone stood silently as if they already knew. Sasuke was speechless; he knew to some degree that the clan had been planning a coup but it had been surreal knowledge relayed to him by the sly Madara.

"Responsible for instigating the act to take over the village, Uchiha Fugaku enlisted the aid of a man to summon a power strong enough to defeat me," Minato continued. Although he didn't outright say it, the implication was there.

Kyuubi; summoned by someone to kill the Hokage. The Fourth watched closely at the two boys. Naruto looked to be in shock but Sasuke stood still as the information sunk in.

What Madara said was a lie. _Of course he lied._

So the clan really was responsible for bringing the Kyuubi to the village. And that man, it had to be Madara. Had Madara been in the village this entire time helping his father and no one knew it?

Sasuke stared at his father. Memories of his father's aloofness and disapproving stare haunted him. Itachi had been a means to an end but when his brother had refused and remained loyal to the village, that's when he had learned the grand fire ball technique. He had tried so hard too; all the burns and sleepless nights that he slaved away trying to master the technique. His heart ached and he wished that someone could reach through his chest and make it stop hurting.

He was a replacement. In the end he still had never been good enough. _Second best_. The thought echoed in his mind; he was unable to think of anything else but his father's apathetic gaze staring down and through him. Was this the ghost he had spent his childhood trying to make up to?

His hand was squeezed by Naruto breaking the spiraling thoughts and he tore his gaze away from his father's dead body. The view was just as dismal as he stared at Naruto instead. Because of his father's greed for power Naruto had to bear the burden of the nine tails where he was coveted everywhere for its power. It was starting to finalize in his mind that the dead didn't matter so much anymore. What mattered though were the ones that were living. _Naruto_.

"Sorry, Naruto," he whispered and returned the squeeze. The blond boy tilted his head questioningly.

"What for?" Sasuke took a second to answer but finally whispered 'everything'. He steeled himself and turned back to face the Hokage who was staring at him.

"What do you know?" If he was going to set things straight then he'd have to know.

At Sasuke's question Minato spoke again. "When you were detained by your father when you first came here he found out about many things; including the fact that Itachi was a spy. With the knowledge of things that could happen his plans were placed on hold until he could verify that they were true.

"Itachi's promotion to ANBU captain was no surprise to him, nor did it perturb him when he suspected him as a spy. He expected it. So they sat idle as they waited. Things went wrong though as I ordered a move to detain the clan unexpectedly before they could act.

"No one expected Kyuubi to react so strongly. Your father was planning on kidnapping Naruto and unleashing the demon fox on the village once more. You know how that went." The Fourth stopped to let it sink in. Naruto hadn't said a word and Sasuke looked like he was going to be sick his pallor fading even more. He gathered himself mentally though as Yondaime continued.

"The memories gathered from Fugaku second the fact that you really are from another time. Events have diverted from this time compared to yours so Fugaku really couldn't use any information to his advantage yet," he paused and his gaze pierced Sasuke's, "You know who he is." Those blue eyes stared him down and he could tell that the Fourth was no fool. He must have suspected all along about Madara but just didn't have any information.

Without any preamble Sasuke knew he wanted to discuss Madara. With an idea of where this was now going he answered confidently with a 'yes'. If his father had seen into his mind then no doubt the Fourth knew everything already; he didn't know why he was still being questioned but had answered anyway. Naruto glanced between the two of them unsure of what was going on or who they were talking about.

"Know who _who_ is?" Naruto quickly asked true to his fashion. Sasuke said nothing as he waited for the Fourth to enlighten his son. The Yondaime merely walked toward them and ushered them out of the room.

"Let's talk elsewhere."

* * *

The ninja, a boy really yet not when his personality was considered, stood at attention inside the Hokage's office as he waited for the Fourth's arrival. His presence had been requested regarding the current situation. It involved someone that he hadn't seen in a while.

In truth he missed the clingy little brat but if Obito-sempai could be believed then his little brother really wasn't the brat that he had known a year ago. Ever since that morning things had changed and he soon found himself even deeper in the political intrigue that haunted the Fourth's every step.

It had all started when the Fourth had met him at the early age of 10 when he had been promoted to chuunin. The promotional meeting had been solemn and quiet but as soon as it was over the Hokage had dismissed everyone except for him. After that it had been a maelstrom of caring blue eyes and pats on the head.

The Fourth had been the only person to ever initiate any form of physical contact. From anyone else it would have been degrading but somehow over the course of the few years he had known the man it had become fatherly; the man had even attempted a hug once or twice much to his chagrin. He became what his own father should have been to him. Itachi was honored and humbled that the Fourth would view him so highly. So when the man had approached him personally and asked him to go against his own clan there had never been a choice. He served his Hokage, like any loyal shinobi.

For now he waited patiently for the man to arrive with his little brother. He pondered on everything that had happened; the Fourth hadn't included him in the team that specialized with extracting information so he didn't know what happened where his father was concerned. He couldn't care less about that; any shred of a blood tie with the man had died when he found out what his father had done with Sasuke after that morning. His mother had found out from him actually. She had been worried and pestered him and his father everyday about where Sasuke was.

He had told her where Fugaku had imprisoned Sasuke. Had his mother waited much longer to get Sasuke out he would have released Sasuke himself. It still angered him when he remembered the state that his mother had found Sasuke in. She must miss him terribly; she hadn't seen him since then. He'd have to see if Sasuke wanted to see her.

The door opened unannounced and in walked the Yondaime with the two boys in tow. He stood a little straighter as he studied Sasuke. Pale face and the usual unruly hair; the boy refused to let it grow out hence the reason it stuck up all over the back of his head. His form wasn't malnourished so the Fourth had been taking care of him. The boy's face was set in a serious frown though, one that Itachi had never seen before on his brother's usual innocent and carefree face. Usually if the boy had ever tried to frown it would take the form of a childish pout. A flick to the forehead always cured that though but he felt if he tried that this Sasuke would attack.

The thought saddened him that this wasn't the little brother that he had played around with back when he had time for it. Gone was the naïve and open face that greeted him every time he came home from a mission no matter how late the time. His gaze studied the other boy; the exact opposite, if Sasuke's brilliance shone as silvery as the moon then Naruto's rays rivaled the sun.

Naruto, the blond boy holding onto his brother's hand appeared confused as he looked around. The village scapegoat, Itachi had rescued the boy on occasion and prevented some nasty occurrences. Always bright and smiley despite the burden he bore his innocence differed from Sasuke's. So this was the boy that Sasuke had been living with for the past year. He thought that they complimented each other fairly well.

Said boy finally looked at Itachi and it took the boy a second to register who was already standing in the room maskless. Immediately those blue eyes so similar to the Fourth's narrowed and his mouth twisted into a scowl. Never before had he ever seen such a feral expression on the kid. _What had he done to him?_ He didn't even think that Naruto would recognize him with his mask off.

It didn't take long for Sasuke to notice him either. The look of surprise on the boy's face wasn't unexpected. Sasuke stopped his progress into the room to openly stare at his older brother.

* * *

He was livid.

Here was the man that had taken Sasuke away from him in the first place. Granted Sasuke had been an idiot and ran away but it was because of this man. _He was only a kid?_ The boy before him looked no older than a genin fresh out of the academy but the white armored vest and arm tattoo attested to his rank. His calm demeanor rankled something deep within him, rousing to the surface an anger that had never really had the chance to awaken.

This was the one who had killed Sasuke's family and ruined his childhood. He was the one who had turned Sasuke into a bastard. Old emotions resurfaced; he wasn't even aware of the clenching of his fists. The man-kid was just standing there like nothing was wrong just like he had done the last time he had met him._ Arrogant son of a bitch_. He tensed up ready to land one right on that empty face and shatter that calm that just drove him crazy. He'd have to be careful of the Sharingan, he wouldn't let a stupid genjutsu take him down again. His mind raced with strategies to take him down. He went over old mistakes and vowed he wouldn't do them again.

"_Naruto_."

Wrong. This was wrong. Some part of his mind registered that he shouldn't be feeling so furious. But his anger pushed the thought away just as quickly as it had surfaced. He'd pummel the guy to the ground but he wouldn't kill him, that was Sasuke's part and his right-

"Naruto!" He was shaken out of his thoughts of violence by Sasuke who was staring hard at him like he was out of his mind.

_What the hell?!_ He was confused by Sasuke's lack of reaction and even more so when he seemed to be almost disapproving. The office of his father surrounded him and Sasuke tugged at his hand, things that wouldn't be happening if this was the past. Right, in this time Itachi hadn't killed the clan. At least he didn't think he did. So many things happened that one night that he couldn't be sure what the hell happened.

"What?" he asked redundantly but Sasuke only tugged at his hand once more indicating that he was squeezing his hand too tight. Immediately he loosened his grip even as he noticed that they were still holding hands. Wow, that was a first, who would have thought that Sasuke would hold hands in public, much less his hand. Before his mind could wander off about the last time they held hands he was distracted again.

"Naruto," his dad spoke up as he took his seat behind the large wooden desk pulling him from the hand issue. He looked at his dad and asked 'what' again. It seemed people liked saying his name. His father gestured for them to have a seat and without any protesting he and Sasuke took a seat with Itachi still standing by. He sat down carefully keeping a watchful eye on Sasuke's psyhco brother; he didn't trust him.

Now that they were out of that creepy old dungeon he didn't feel like not talking anymore. It seemed that although he was from the future, it was him who was the clueless one here. Sasuke seemed to know what his dad was talking about. Some guy that had helped summoned the stupid fox; he seemed like a big deal but he had no idea who he was. He'd be damned if he'd be left out of the loop.

So to remedy his situation he spoke up.

"Hey, what the hell is going on?" he blurted out without preamble. Everyone looked at him but it was his dad who spoke up.

"What are you talking about Naruto?" his dad asked as if he was the one confused.

"What do you mean? I wanna know what you're talking about. Who's that guy and why is _he_ here like nothing's wrong?!" he pointed an accusing finger at Itachi. Itachi in response raised a brow, unsure how to answer that.

"Naruto, it's okay," the Fourth spoke up. He glared skeptically at Itachi, not really believing his dad that Itachi wouldn't suddenly attack Sasuke and try to kidnap him for Akatsuki. When his glare didn't let up Sasuke nudged him.

"Relax dobe." Instantly he took offense at the nickname and he rounded on Sasuke.

"Don't call me that! What the hell is wrong with you? You spent your entire life going after him and now it's _okay_?" he was starting to panic; freaking out that something was just wrong with the calmness of everyone around him.

"_Dobe_, shut up and listen," Sasuke said very clearly, "Remember where we _are_. It's different right now." The direct eye contact and the words sank into his brain and he did remember. There was no massacre and no evil Itachi yet.

"Oh," he visibly deflated at the thought. Old feelings had blinded him for a moment there. But still, how could Sasuke just act like nothing-nothing happened. Right, he had to keep reminding himself that nothing had happened. He leaned back stiffly and crossed his arms across his chest rather missing the hand contact with Sasuke.

"Fine," he agreed sullenly, "So who is he? This guy you guys are talking about?" he began since no one seemed willing to talk first. Minato tilted his head toward Sasuke to indicate that he should begin. The boy's impassive face didn't change as he began speaking of a man named Madara, a man who should have been dead years ago.

* * *

_The man was good, he admitted reluctantly but only to himself. He watched the long haired man stand up straight and relay an order to a subordinate. His aristocratic features were smooth and unmarred like most warriors in this war. The man had an air about him, charismatic and commanding but he was second to none and his brother and he were the driving force for the progress that the Uchiha clan had made. The clan had a primitive form of the Sharingan but if it hadn't been for his ingenious use of it and his perfecting it, the clan would never be where it was now._

_After dealing with his subordinate the long haired man turned to him as if he were a lowly subject that he deigned to give his attention to. It enraged him that he almost felt like he should be down on one knee before this man and Madara bowed down to no one. So he scowled and drew himself up higher despite being slightly shorter. Another reason to hate the man's guts._

_Senju Hashirama graced him with an easy smile and nod. "Not bad, Uchiha," he acknowledged. His innards twisted but to dismiss the praise would be seen as ill behavior so he tilted his head slightly in respect though it nearly killed him inside._

_From that moment on they fought alongside, Hashirama for the sake of ending the war, and he for glory and to one day beat Senju and be the best. _

_He hated him but couldn't help but admire him at the same time. He strove day and night for hours on end trying to find new ways to up the Senju during their spars. But no one could defeat the might of the Senju and Uchiha clan combined and before long the alliance with the Fire Daimyo paid off and the birth of Konoha, the village hidden in the Leaves occurred. _

_Still he was no closer to defeating Senju than he had been when they first met. The man's infuriating Mukoton techniques in the middle of his own forest made things difficult. He used fire all the time and it seemed to piss off the plant user when sections of his forest were razed to the ground but like persistent weeds the woods grew back and the grass reformed with more annoying vines to trip him._

_He became a man possessed living only to defeat Senju and the distance grew between his brother and him. The hours of studying paid off though, or so he thought when ancient scrolls before even his fore fathers' times spoke of a demon with enough terrifying power to demolish entire countries at once. The fury of the demon appealed to him._

_Though it took years to refine the contract with the demon and even more to gather the necessary 'things' to achieve control of the demon he finally did it. At the cost of his brother and other sacrifices he summoned the demon. _

_For once he would defeat Senju. Little did he know though, stuck in the scrolls all the time, his brother betrayed his plans to Senju who had time to prepare. All the work he'd put into his life goal of defeating Senju wasted._

_In the end the man's much-hated Mukoton triumphed again. At the crack that had formed by their fight which would later be filled with running water Madara knelt before Hashirama defeated. It wasn't until much later after the epic battle that he discovered Senju's weakness._

_So he vowed that he would return and show him that he wasn't second best, he would win. The Senju's compassion, his weakness, would be his downfall. He swore to it._

* * *

"His name is Uchiha Madara, the original founder of Konoha along with Senju Hashirama. Long considered dead he still lives," Sasuke started, "I don't know how or why but he seems to be after the nine-tailed demon fox."

Minato seemed to consider this. The idea that someone that old was still alive and powerful unlike the doddering old man they should be was rather terrifying not to mention that he was after his son. The man must have used some sort of aging jutsu similar to Tsunade's in order to have stayed alive this long.

However, the matter at hand wasn't how he managed to live this long but the fact that he was after the destruction of the village. For no doubt what else would he want Kyuubi for if not destruction of some kind?

"I've received reports of a man who I believe to be Madara. He had been spotted around Fire Country numerous times and I've always suspected his involvement with the Uchiha clan. With the information retrieved from Fugaku it's confirmed that he was the man that had summoned the nine-tails demon with the intent of killing me so that the clan could take their rightful place at the top of the hierarchy in Konoha.

"It's also confirmed that he was the one that Kyuubi fought the night of the subduing," Minato added and looked at Naruto. He didn't expect anything from the boy so he was surprised when Naruto spoke up.

"It hates him," he said quietly but fiercely, "When Kyuubi sensed him it was angry and it wanted nothing more than to just tear him limb from limb and-" he choked back the image of what Kyuubi had showed him. His words caused a sinking feeling in Minato's gut; he hadn't even thought about it, they had assumed that since he had passed out right after the killing that perhaps Naruto hadn't been aware of anything. His words now confirmed though that he had been hoping in vain; it tore at him that he had been exposed to that kind of monstrosity.

"We'll get him, Naruto. Sasuke," he looked at the other boy as well for there were two victims here, "I'll devise a plan of action and since we know who it is we'll be prepared. I've got a squad solely dedicated to finding him." The two boys nodded, satisfied at the action.

"Now for the two of you, it's obvious that he wants you so you will not leave this village unless sanctioned by me. You will not leave the manor unless accompanied by an escort-"

"We're not kids!" Naruto erupted at the thought of being tailed all day long. His dad though merely raised his eyebrow and said, "Naruto, for all intents and purposes you are a kid." _Good god, you're only seven!_ He didn't add the thought that screamed so clearly in his mind.

"I don't care how good you were before you came here you have underdeveloped chakra coils and a body unused to hard training. Same goes for you Sasuke," he said quickly before the blond could say another word.

"Hokage-sama," Sasuke interrupted, "I do agree but I suggest that we train instead to correct that. The best defense is if we can fend for ourselves right?" Minato studied the unassuming boy; while he found no flaw in the logic something inside him didn't want these two boys to have to live a life of violence especially since they seemed to have been given a second chance.

"I agree with Sasuke, Hokage-sama," Itachi piped in. Minato sent a slight glare to his faithful soldier for taking the boys' sides. To compensate Itachi volunteered to look after them and show them a thing or two.

"Fine, Itachi, you will be assigned to escorting them; I'll discuss the rotations later. However," Minato said loudly, "You will not have anything to do with their training _until_ they've gone through the basics again and regain the proper techniques. I'll have an academy teacher supervise your training," his words left no room for arguing but that didn't keep Naruto from groaning and sulking.

"Might as well put us back into the academy," the little blond grumbled out loud. Sasuke shot him a glare and Minato chuckled.

"Perfect," the Hokage smiled before they could protest, "I'll put you two in the advanced class; make that the sixth year class." Minato grinned glad that his son's whining had sparked such a brilliant idea. It would be great for baby-sitting issues and solve the problem of going over their basics as well.

Sasuke opened his mouth to argue but the Fourth beat him to anything he could come up with.

"It's either that or sit at all day at the manor," Minato warned ominously. Sasuke settled for glaring at Naruto openly stating that it was his entire fault. Naruto squirmed and finally just lowered his head in guilt.

_This was going to suck._

* * *

When the boys left the office with escorts back to the manor Itachi, who had stayed, asked, "Is that the best idea you have Hokage-sama?" The older Uchiha eyed the now standing man looking out at his village. At the question the blond sighed and rubbed his face, gone was the authority that had been on display so prominently before only leaving a man faced with difficult choices.

"If it were up to me, I'd lock them up and seal them shut somewhere far away and safe where nothing can harm them," he said quietly. "But I know that they'd only suffocate and fight to free themselves. In all honesty, if it were up to me, neither of them would be permitted into the dangers of this world. I don't want another child to lose their chance to just _be_ a child."

Itachi remained silent on that ending statement knowing well that the Fourth not only spoke of him but of his former student as well. He had never really known Kakashi but he had served under his sempai's command on several missions before Kakashi had resigned as captain thus earning him his promotion. The man, or better yet, the boy had always been one step ahead of him; his grey eyes silent and as secretive as his mask was.

He envied the bond that Kakashi had with the Fourth and he knew he was no replacement for the Hatake; not even Obito, his closest confident now couldn't replace his teammate's place. Itachi had no words to comfort him; how could he when he was the very picture of what Minato didn't want?

The moment of silence continued until the academy teacher that had been summoned knocked upon the office door. With his mask in place Itachi stood off to the side and merely stood at attention during the meeting. Once more Minato got down to business and that vulnerable side that doubted and feared vanished once more to the most secret depths within him.

He would judge the boys' advancements after a year, or sooner if necessary.

"Bastard! You did that on purpose!" Naruto screamed out a second before he retaliated with a swift charge aiming at taking that smirking bastard off his feet and onto his back. However his moment of revenge was quickly intercepted by his father who jerked him back by his shirt collar effectively choking him.

"That's enough you two. Now behave or else I'll send you back to the academy!" Minato threatened.

"No!" Naruto shouted but otherwise remained quiet despite shooting glares at Sasuke. It wasn't the first time that they had been sent back to the academy; they had been surprised when the Fourth had actually carried through on his threat. Needless to say they hadn't so much as made a sound since then.

It had been quiet since the awakening of Kyuubi all those years ago. Madara's trail had gone cold despite countless fruitless searches for the man. It was like he had disappeared off the face of their world. So with the passing years Naruto's father had reluctantly started allowing them to perform missions with other teams as substitutes.

With no team of their own they hadn't been allowed to compete in the chuunin exams. Naruto had at first been willing to join up with other teams but Sasuke remained stoic and unbending. Eventually Naruto himself had started to miss their third member, Sakura, who was still in the academy herself oblivious to the trials that her teammates were going through.

Promoted to genin with Obito as their guide the two boys pushed hard to train and if left unsupervised they would duke it out until both fell unconscious. Minato had been told that it wasn't so bad but when they started regaining their stamina and chakra the fights were brutal and dangerous almost as if they were making up for the lost years of sparring.

Obito and Itachi had to intervene numerous times. Today Minato would observe their progress and see if they were fit for the chuunin exams. He didn't doubt their strengths having witnessed several spars in the past few months but he needed to see if their minds had matured enough. So far it didn't seem so; they hadn't even reached the designated training field yet and already they were ready to pummel each other for the slightest thing.

If he didn't know any better though, Minato would say that they hated each other's guts. But years spent with the two boys under one roof showed him that rarely ever did the two willingly leave the other's side. And while the shouting and taunting was loud and obnoxious he had spied the moments after long, hard fights were they laid next to each other in silence, in peace.

When they didn't think anyone was looking, only then did Minato ever witness an intimacy that transcended anything physical. Naruto and Sasuke were extremely sneaky and they kept their moments secrets. Lately they were getting pretty good at hiding that he had trouble spying on them.

It didn't worry him though; he was starting to see how such young souls had gotten through their ordeals, simply because they had each other.

His reminiscing was cut off when Naruto made another try at Sasuke who had done something that had slipped past his occupied mind.

"I said enough already!" he ordered but Naruto already had a hold of Sasuke's shirt ready to punch him. The Uchiha was merely smirking. Once more Minato pulled the two apart and sighed dramatically knowing his next words would have them scrambling to get away from each other if only temporarily.

"You two are like lovers, constantly bickering and flirting. The way people are looking it seems like you can't keep your hands off each other!" he teased and laughed when both boys' eyes went wide and Sasuke shoved Naruto away from him. The young blond sputtered in outrage at his father's teasing. Both grumbled and crossed their arms as they turned away from the other childishly.

Minato laughed. Inwardly he prayed that these days would last for a little while longer. _Forever would be nice too._

* * *

A/N:

Oh My God! I am So Sorry!! I promised numerous people that I wouldn't abandon this story but I was having such a hard time transitioning them from being 6 year olds to their twelve year old stage. And this chapter wasn't exactly exciting and there wasn't much from Naruto and Sasuke's point of view but that will come next chapter when things start rolling again with the appearance of the villains.

There's so much I need to say and explain but I'm tired of staring at this chapter; been staring at it for the past months with no idea how to get it done. So my apologies for the qualities, things will get more exciting again. I don't like how the meeting went with Naruto, Sasuke and Minato but I couldn't imagine anything else happening either :(


	14. Chapter 14

Wrong Again

Chapter 14

I realize that for the past oh I don't know how many chapters I have forgotten to place a disclaimer in the separate chapters. Then I asked myself, do I need a disclaimer every freaking chapter? I couldn't bother to check out the rules so here's one anyway in case someone forgot that Naruto is owned by Kishimoto and whoever else that does the anime on TV.

I don't own Naruto or anything except my two new little goldfishes!

Oh, and I know I have a problem with long winding sentences, so if anyone would be so kind as to point them out and maybe rephrase them for me, that would be awesome!! Thanks a bunch!

Please enjoy!

* * *

"Damn it," Naruto muttered under his breath as he was shoved back by the force of Sasuke's kick. The bastard was always just a little bit faster with that damn sharingan of his. He'd show him though. With Obito's help and unknowingly, Itachi's, behind Sasuke's back he had been learning how to fight against those stupid eyes. He'd show his dad that he was ready for the chuunin exams.

Of course Obito had greatly stressed the idea that to become a chuunin it wasn't just about beating someone but actually using some strategy. The way Sasuke smirked at him though boiled his blood and made Obito's words fade and all he was left with was the desire to pound that cocky face into the ground.

"Ahhhh!" with a roar he pushed off the ground in a flurry of dust and chakra. "Kage Bunshin!" Twenty clones appeared amid the chaos of smoke and with the distraction Naruto prepared his ultimate move that he had named the Kick Sasuke's Ass Technique. Poof! Poof! The agile Uchiha easily blew through the onslaught of clones. The last of the clones kicked up as much dust as they could for more cover. The smoke of the dispersed clones added to the thick cloud.

The last of the clones were destroyed, Naruto knew he had to move fast and time it perfectly. He couldn't see anything around him but Sasuke's chakra pulsed so loudly he had no problem pinpointing the other boy. Movement stopped and he could tell Sasuke had momentarily paused to gauge his next attack.

The dust cloud ensured that his dad wouldn't see what he was planning; he waited another heart beat. _Now!_

He rushed forward with a cry of 'Kage Bunshin,' several clones surrounded Sasuke and himself.

* * *

Sasuke glared at the ensuing dust; if he didn't know better he'd have thought that with the skill level of Naruto's clones they were just that clumsy creating this storm cloud of smoke and debris. When he heard the cry though of more clones he braced himself; as easy as they were to defeat Naruto could keep this up for hours while he sure as hell couldn't.

The solution, defeat the idiot quickly.

A clone to the right was met with a left hook which led him into swinging his right elbow around and shattering the jaw of the unfortunate clone that had tried to sneak up behind him. To his unexpected surprise the first clone hadn't dispersed.

Naruto grabbed his left arm and with a practiced twist like Itachi had showed him yanked Sasuke's arm up and high behind his back. A rough hand snaked into the soft hair at the back of his neck and pulled hard arching Sasuke's back painfully.

He was pissed at having been caught off guard but the flash of anger turned into stunned immobility when his head was yanked back and blue eyes caught his just a nano-second before chapped lips were pressed almost gently against his.

_He just-did he just?_ His brain took too long to function but the instant lasted only long enough for his body to remember that they were fighting and he ripped away uncaring if he broke his arm in the process. He just had to get away.

He turned around faster than a cornered cat and snarled only to be met by the most infuriating sneer he'd ever seen on Naruto's face. Literally, much later, he could have sworn that he saw red. Much like how he had seen red back in the day when he was first after Itachi he rushed toward that smirking face wanting nothing more than to smash it into a bloody pulp.

"Oomph!" The wind was knocked out of him by the uppercut of a clone shooting straight out of the ground. Sasuke fell to his knees hugging his midsection completely breathless. A wind jutsu blew the remaining dust away to reveal Naruto standing over Sasuke with a kunai to his neck.

* * *

The Fourth stood off to the side quite stunned since Naruto hardly ever won a fight against Sasuke; it usually ended in a draw or with Sasuke as the winner. So it stood to reason that that was why his son had the biggest victory grin on his face.

The two boys were staring at each other and while Minato couldn't see Sasuke's face he was sure the boy was trying to burn him alive with his eyes.

The staring contest was broken when Naruto shifted his gaze to the Fourth and shouted, "I win!" The boy lowered his kunai and did a victory dance singing 'I win, I win,' over and over again. What completely baffled Minato was that as soon as Naruto turned his back Sasuke lunged and a brawl took place.

He heard snatches of 'you cheated,' 'I beat you,' and 'I'm gonna kill you' between the scuffling. Now more curious than ever about what move Naruto had used on Sasuke he decided to intervene.

"Now now boys, stop it, this is an evaluation and right now you two are not impressing me at all," he said sternly in his best Hokage voice; the one that he used when he sentenced them back to a term in the academy. Almost like magic Naruto shoved Sasuke off of him and huffed under his breath 'sore loser.'

"Sasuke," Yondaime warned when it looked like the pale boy was going to jump Naruto again. The Uchiha was positively livid; Naruto's grin now that they were no longer fighting had Minato itching to find out what happened. He had no doubt that his son had caused the debris to hide his move.

"Based on what I have seen today there's no doubt in both your skills. The two of you have improved; you are both hard working and you work well together-when you're not fighting each other at least," he added sardonically.

"That _flaw_ can be overlooked if in future times you can prove that with a third member you two can dampen your tendencies to beat each other at everything. You'll both do well as chuunins," he finished his sentence just in time before Naruto interrupted in a flurry of 'hell yeah'. His enthusiasm was cut short by a loud cough and a frown.

"However," he gave them both stern looks, "Don't think that the childish behavior at the end of the fight will be overlooked. That has got to stop," he scowled at both of them, most especially at Naruto when a muttered 'sore loser' reached his ears again. Naruto sobered up and looked away from the sulking Sasuke.

"This was a spectacular spar, worthy of the chuunin exams but with this behavior, instead of granting you two the promotion right away like I was planning _if_ on the slimmest chance that you two behaved yourselves, I'll have a third teammate selected for you and you will participate in the upcoming exam next month," he finished to the looks of disbelief on the boys' faces.

"Wha-" Naruto's outburst was cut off by an elbow to the side by Sasuke. The blond boy pouted but he remained silent.

"Good, you two are learning quite well, it only took five years," Minato said with a beaming smile meant to mock the two.

* * *

The way the Fourth smiled down at them like little pets that had successfully completed training made Sasuke want to punch something, preferably the mini blond version of the smiling man. But he kept his mouth shut and his hands to himself or risk starting everything all over again.

He used to wish that Kakashi would actually train them but if this was how Kakashi was trained as a student under the Fourth then he was glad Kakashi never took to his sensei's methods. They would never have gotten anywhere with the way Naruto and Sakura were.

Frustration was building inside of him the longer that he had to wait to confront Naruto on that- that _stunt_ that he pulled. He didn't like the way the Fourth's expression went from smiling to inquisitive. He knew the question would be asked but he'd die a thousand painful deaths before he admitted to anything. And Naruto would keep his mouth shut too if he knew what was good for him.

"Say, Naruto, what exactly did you do that made you win?" Yondaime asked, the question rang loudly to his ears and his glare focused to pinpoint beams that he turned onto the fidgeting blond.

Smarter than he looked sometimes Naruto rubbed the back of his head nervously having caught sight of the dangerous glare aimed straight between his eyes; he chuckled and said hesitantly, "I just got lucky, that's all."

_You bet your ass you got lucky._

"Really now?" the Fourth didn't seem too convinced at all as lucky as Naruto was known to be. The man appeared to ponder the response for a moment before he pressed again.

"Don't make me make you say it Naruto…" he warned. At the threat Naruto burst into a pleading speech complete with the thrown up hands and puppy eyes.

"Please don't Dad! If I tell you Sasuke'll kill me!"

"Damn right I will dobe!" he growled at the nervous blond. The sight was quite comical to Minato and he burst out laughing.

"Alright, alright, keep your secrets, which ninja doesn't?" the Fourth backed off, for the time being but Sasuke knew that the moment he could corner Naruto he just might get the idiot to spill. He'd just have to see to it that he made sure Naruto completely understood what would happen to him if he said _anything_ even remotely close to what happened.

"Off you two go. When I get a hold of your teammate I'll introduce you. Then you guys can work on being a team," he said in farewell and teleported but not before adding to Sasuke, "I'd like to see Naruto alive and in one piece Sasuke."

The Hokage didn't miss the glint or the audible gulp. _Oh what I wouldn't give to see what happens; sometimes being the Hokage sucks._

In the second it took for the Hokage to leave Sasuke had formulated a plan.

He was livid. Absolutely fucking furious.

Stupid Naruto.

_Alive and in one piece my ass._ The plan that he had come up with involved breathing and that was the most complex thing his mind could come up with. When he was through with the idiot there won't be a speck or drop of blood left to find of that blond moron.

To think that he'd actually done that! He knew Naruto had been plotting some inconceivable technique to defeat him but the move had taken him completely by surprise. With his back to Naruto he hadn't been able to predict the trajectory of his lip-actions.

The worse part was that when it happened, his entire body and mind had froze!

"Heh, Sasuke?" the imbecile dared to provoke him. A nervous chuckle escaped from the wary blond at his lack of movement. In truth it had been forty-seven seconds since the Yondaime had left them and he hadn't done more than breath and twitch with fury.

This show of restraint had to account for something later, like a sign of goodwill later when he was being tried for murdering the idiot. Surely the Fourth would see it that way and so would Obito. His brother would only stare at him and come up with something or another that would make him squirm with guilt.

"One…" he muttered, still furiously glaring at Naruto. His mind was made up. The blond however didn't get it and echoed his word in confusion.

"Two…" this came out lower than the first. Sharingan red eyes flashed and counted point six seconds before the light seemed to click on in Naruto's brain that this was his only chance to run.

At two point nine seconds the blond finally took that first step to escape certain death.

"Three."

Too late.

"Ah!!" the scream rang throughout the training grounds scaring off a flock of sparrows.

* * *

Three long days had gone by before Sasuke even so much as looked in his direction. The bastard was being overly prissy about this in his opinion. As much as it rankled him that he was being ignored he would never ever apologize for kissing him.

He considered it fate since they had done so on the last day of the academy back in the other life. Of course that was an accident but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't think of any situation in their current state in which it could happen.

So, as a believer that fate was what one made to be, and since that kiss really was fate-he'd have to figure a way to get Sasuke to believe that- then it stood to reason that he'd have to do something about it. One day after a week of unsuccessful pondering he brought his issue to Obito.

He had weaved and lied and made up stories trying to appease Obito's curiosity without giving away his plan. In the end Obito refused to help him unless he spilled all.

Not without resources and determination he turned to none other than Itachi. Like the genius that he was, Itachi explained that if the chances of an event occurring were slim then events and actions could be staged to lead to the occurrence of said desired event. He had stared at Sasuke's older brother blankly, completely devoid of any plans or ideas to get his desired event to take place.

Then Itachi had so nicely applied his words of wisdom to a battle strategy.

"_Say that you are in the woods but you have a greater affinity with water chakra. You know that there is a river not too far from where you are but the chances of your enemy going to that river are slim. So therefore you plot and scheme, maneuvering him until you reach the river and then bam!"_

Of course Itachi hadn't sounded quite like that, but the idea was all that mattered. Hence the birth of his plan; the Kick Sasuke's Ass Technique was born! Inwardly he had wanted to name it the Kiss Sasuke Technique but that would ruin his surprise and he was still the Number One Most Surprising Ninja!

And boy did he surprise Sasuke!

Just thinking about Sasuke's reaction made him grin so wide that his face hurt. He stomped down on his grin pretty quickly though as he remembered that he was trying to get Sasuke to stop ignoring him. The bastard had charged him right on three and proceeded to strangle him blue. Then he punched him in the eye!

And that was all.

Sasuke disappeared for a whole day after that and now he wasn't talking to him. In truth he had been expecting an ass whooping only to be left alone in the field. He still couldn't decide which would've been worse, the beating of a second lifetime or the abandonment of a second lifetime.

The pale boy stalked past him without as much as a glance.

_Okay, this is much worse,_ he admitted to himself. The ass kicking would have been easier to handle; the bruises would have faded and the bones would have healed. This however reminded him way too much of how things used to be in their other life.

"Sasuke!" and like he knew how to do only too well, he chased after the elusive Uchiha.

* * *

"Ah, there you are," Itachi said as he looked up into the higher branches of a tree to where Sasuke had made his temporary hideout. He ignored his older brother and continued his brooding. When he didn't respond his brother pressed on.

"So how did the evaluation go?" he asked as if the attempts to start a conversation wasn't futile. Sasuke didn't deign to answer his brother; he knew Itachi would have already spoken to the Fourth about what happened.

The silence stretched on but somehow Itachi had that uncanny knack of making his presence known even without making a sound. It irritated him that he wouldn't take the hint and leave him alone, much like Naruto. Finally though in annoyance he broke against the silent war.

"You already know," he stated as a matter of fact without opening his eyes.

"I want to hear it from you too," Itachi responded to the accusation. That pissed him off. So his brother wanted to know how he lost did he?

"You wanna know how I lost? That stupid idiot pulled a prank! He cheated! I bet Obito was in on it too," he ranted the words just flowing out of him like a dam released. His brother remained unmoved by his words and asked, "What did he do?"

At that question he became silent. He knew he could tell his brother anything, except maybe this. It wasn't that Itachi would think anything of it; even if he did he wouldn't say anything that he himself hadn't already thought of. But if he couldn't vent to his brother, then who the hell could he tell? He sure as hell wasn't going to talk to Naruto about it.

Was it worth the potential embarrassment?

Down below Itachi waited patiently for him to make up his mind and organize his scattered thoughts and feelings. He debated and debated. Most of him screamed and threatened him to keep his mouth shut, that this was something that he was going to remain silent on and take to the grave with him.

Another part though, unbidden by him, aka his traitorous mouth, whispered out in a fast rush.

"_He kissed me."_ The words came out right after each other and were barely audible. Had it been anyone else they wouldn't have heard him at all which was good because he sure as hell wasn't going to repeat himself. But this was Itachi and he heard everything; he sure as hell heard what he just said.

_Oh god! Someone just kill me now!_ He waited in tense silence for the condemning, scathing remark that would drive the shame even further into his soul.

The light chuckle shook him out of his fear but in return he turned pink. He could feel the heat creep up his neck and flood his cheeks; they burned as if he'd been laying under the sun too long. Mortification filled him and he regretted that he hadn't kept a tighter leash on his suddenly loose mouth.

"Aniki!" his protest came out more as a whine and it only made Itachi laugh harder and louder. Embarrassed he got mad and the urge to leave made him stand up. Ready to leap away Itachi stopped him with a sentence.

"Sasuke, it seems like we need to talk about a few things," he said with the complete seriousness befitting a mission briefing but his eyes were full of mirth. He glared at his brother and snapped, "Keep your talk."

Fed up with his brother's teasing he turned to leave. For a second he had thought that his aniki would make him feel better. Turns out he really should have just kept quiet.

"The Hokage wants to see you right now," Itachi called after him. He grunted, no wonder Itachi had sought him out. No doubt now the Fourth had sent Itachi to discover Naruto's technique. As soon as the thought hit him he groaned. Itachi was going to tell the Fourth!

How the hell was he going to face the father of the boy who kissed him?!

* * *

A/N:

Haha, I enjoyed writing this chapter. It's just a little bit of silliness between the two boys and I wanted to throw Itachi in there a little bit since some readers were wondering what happened to him. This story is narusasunaru, and to those who know what the means, then you know Naruto's not going to be the only one making the moves. But they're still too young for anything, this really was just a bit of fun on Naruto's part, nothing beyond twelve year old thoughts. The kiss has really scrambled Sasuke's brain hence his crazy extreme thoughts.

Next chapter they meet their teammate! And the chuunin exam! Thanks for reading everyone! XD


	15. Chapter 15

Wrong Again

Chapter 15

Hey is the next chapter! This was supposed to be out a LOONNNG time ago but school happened…

Oh well, enjoy!

* * *

"I've thought of the perfect teammate for Naruto and Sasuke!"

Obito, who had been nodding off in the corner while the Fourth pondered, nearly jumped at the loud exclamation. He perked up though at the proclamation; Minato had been at it for an entire day now and he wanted to know who he had come up with.

"Who?" It was hard coming up with someone with the proper credentials that would be similar to the two boys; not only would that person have to work well with the two dominant boys but they would have to be able to keep up as well. The boys were beyond genin level, both physically and mentally-sometimes- so they couldn't be saddled with just any academy graduate. As much as Naruto wanted Sakura to be their teammate, she couldn't keep up with them now, not to mention she hadn't even graduated yet.

"Well?" Obito asked impatiently when Minato didn't speak fast enough for him.

"Rock Lee!"

Stunned silence was the reaction accompanied by Obito's face falling. Minato only beamed at his choice.

"You're joking," Obito said flatly, totally not amused.

"What makes you say that?" the blond asked unassumingly, almost like he had no clue what kind of team this would turn out to be with Rock Lee.

"Minato-_sensei_," he emphasized the title, "Lee-san might be able to keep up with them for a little while but with his limitations even he can't keep up with them for long." From his words it was obvious that he was trying to hold onto his patience as his imagination ran wild at the thought of Lee meeting Naruto and Sasuke. He was sure that the three had met before but this Lee was different from the one they had spoken about.

When Kakashi died Gai had never been the same. No one had ever thought that anything could get the exuberant man down; however the man had disappeared right after the funeral. No more speeches on youth and passion; it seemed Gai's flames of enthusiasm died with Kakashi. Obito had never thought the day would come when Gai would pass him without uttering so much as a peep, at least not at the expense that it took. For years no one thought the youth would be the same. He still wore excessive green but he no longer blinded anyone with his smile.

It took a lot of cajoling and numerous attempts on Minato's part to finally persuade the now older man to take on a student.

Little determined Rock Lee, runt of the class, worked for weeks to prove himself to the cynical Maito Gai. Slowly the man seemed to return to normalcy but throughout the ordeal Lee had really learned how to strike terror in the enemy's hearts.

The boy was a little green drill sergeant! Bossy, loud and totally dominant he wouldn't last a day, much less an hour with Naruto and Sasuke before they beat the crap out of him.

Obito glared at Minato.

"But this is only temporary!" Minato protested weakly.

"You sound like you're trying to convince yourself," he pointed out.

The Fourth deflated and let out a sigh and leaned back in his chair. Defeat was his very posture. He'd spent forever thinking about this. His decision was supposed to have been made days ago but still there wasn't any luck or brilliant idea.

"I can't think of anyone else!" he complained. Obito had nothing to say to that; he hadn't been able to think of anyone either. They had agreed though that they wouldn't place a higher ranking shinobi with the two boys. They needed some more social time with kids their age. It was their fault that they hadn't allowed the two boys to interact with their peers.

"I need someone with at least half a brain that knows to stay out of their way but strong enough that they aren't being walked all over either," Minato whined at the almost impossible task.

"So you thought of Lee?" Obito asked sarcastically.

"I don't hear any bright ideas coming from you!" Minato shot back with a pouting glare. Obito stuck his tongue out childishly. He grumbled incoherently but started thinking again anyway.

_Half a brain and smart enough to handle Naruto's and Sasuke's antics._ Who the hell could handle that at the age of twelve? He went through a mental listing of all available genin once more thinking of the pros and cons of each person. This year's graduated batch wasn't very impressive. The only one who stood out was the Hyuuga kid but he was already on a team.

"I got it!" he jumped up and strutted to lean over Minato's desk. He didn't know why he hadn't thought of this earlier. The blond eyed him critically, "What? Spit it out!" he ordered.

"Nara's boy," he said smugly, extremely proud of his bright idea, "He graduated half a year early to avoid more school work. The kid's a genius they say but really lazy; totally unmotivated. Naruto and Sasuke should help with that."

Minato beamed with the idea, "That's perfect! Where is he?" he eagerly asked.

"He should be cloud watching."

* * *

Naruto entered his dad's office with trepidation. He'd managed to escape his father's queries for the past few days. It helped though that Sasuke had impeccable timing. When he peeked into the office it was to the greeting of two pairs of scheming eyes; one black and the other blue. Hesitantly he walked in slowly, looking around discretely for Sasuke.

"He's not here yet." The blunt statement came from Obito who was just as curious as to what Naruto's secret technique was. Panic crawled up Naruto's spine as the predatory grins beamed at him.

_Shit._

He gulped and backed up against the door, "I-I think I'll go a-and get him," he stuttered out, looking for any reason to get away. Inwardly he debated if he was fast enough to slip out the door before his dad caught him.

"That won't be necessary, I sent Itachi already," his father spoke in a deceptively calm tone as if to ease his paranoia.

"Oh, I-I'll just wait outside…yeah," he trailed off. One, two seconds of eye contact with his father's similar blue eyes and he made a dash for the door.

"Ack!" His dad stood over him with one hand holding the door shut. It had been pointless but he had to try!

_Oh shit! Sasuke! Help me!_ His silent plea for help was answered with a disgruntled grunt and a condescending 'You got yourself into this mess'. Jeeze, even the Sasuke in his head was cruel!

"Oh come now, Naruto, whatever Sasuke would do to you wouldn't be as bad as, oh say ... never having ramen again for the _rest of your life_," his dad threatened way too cheerfully, adding, "Right?"

"You wouldn't dare!" Fear widened his eyes comically. No ramen for the rest of his life?! That was a serious threat! And his dad always went though on what he said. His only instinct was to blabber it all out, nothing was worth losing ramen forever!

Knowing his dad, he'd ban ramen from Konoha and post posters everywhere telling everyone that he couldn't have his precious ramen! Horrible images assaulted his mind of a ramen depraved life. Just thinking about the horrors made him almost faint.

In his moment of weakness Kyuubi laughed.

_Stupid brat, life without your disgusting ramen or without your precious Sasuke?_

The demon continued to laugh; his words jarred Naruto out of his ramen induced panic and his thoughts warred with each other. Having no ramen was unimaginable but the idea of Sasuke not talking to him was pretty horrid too.

_Damn! What am I gonna do?!_ He couldn't decide which was worse. If he gave up ramen, he'd be miserable and the withdrawal symptoms were pretty nasty. But the way Sasuke passed by him today hurt more than he wanted to admit; he'd be miserable too and the Sasuke-withdrawal symptoms weren't good either.

"Think of your ramen Naruto," Obito taunted, "Sasuke won't have to know."

"And even if he did find out, he won't be mad at you _forever_," his dad jumped in on the persuading.

"Yeah, Sasuke will forgive you some day but no ramen forever? That's a _long_ time," Obito added putting emphasis on the 'long' with a hand gesture.

"Ah…" Naruto was totally torn. Panic and indecision ate at him. Sweat dripped down his face as his brain struggled to weigh the drastic decision.

_Ramen._

_Sasuke._

_Ramen. Sasuke. Ramen. Sasuke. ..._

The mantra repeated itself over and over in his head with no sign of ending any time soon. His dad and Obito continued to taunt and reason with him, their words rushing at him and adding to his overloaded brain.

Just when he thought he couldn't take it anymore and was about to just scream in pure frustration at the pressure over such a life altering decision, the door opened.

"SASUKE!!"

* * *

Minato's aide jumped nearly a foot at the outburst, her hand clutched her chest from the scare of her life. All eyes were on the mini blond that had not only screamed but had accompanied the scream with instant clinging.

"Dobe," he sneered at the idiot from behind the aide. Naruto blinked and peeked around the woman to see Sasuke staring back at him; he rolled his eyes at the blonde's childish move.

"Ah, sorry 'bout that, heh," Naruto apologized and let go of the woman who had finally started breathing again. You'd think that working around shinobi she'd be used to getting the crap scared out of her, Sasuke thought.

"It's alright, you can go," Minato said gently. She nodded but remained silent and left the office still flustered. As soon as the door closed though, Naruto immediately placed Sasuke between his tormentors and himself with a whisper, 'save me'.

Once more he rolled his eyes but this meant that Naruto hadn't cracked and judging by the Fourth's and Obito's glares they weren't too happy with his arrival. Damn Itachi, he must have delayed him on purpose so that they could corner Naruto.

"What?" he demanded when the two adults simply stared at them. His word jarred the two into backing up and composing their posture. Yondaime coughed and sat back down in his chair content to bide his time for now.

"Like I promised, I found a teammate for you two for the chuunin exam," he started with a big smile. Sasuke scowled; whenever the Fourth looked like that, he never knew what to expect. After almost six years he still couldn't predict the man half the time and it annoyed him.

"Really?" Naruto immediately perked up at his dad's words. Naruto's complete one-eighty in attitude would have baffled him if he wasn't used to it by now. Naruto he could understand, every little nuance in his expression and body language Sasuke could understand, but the name that came out of the Fourth's mouth surprised him even when he was expecting to be surprised.

"Nara Shikamaru!" Minato beamed even brighter at the momentary stunned state of the two boys.

"Shikamaru? That lazy ass?!" Naruto yelled out in indignation.

"Yep!" Minato answered and Obito spouted, "It was my idea!"

Sasuke thought it over. Nara never really cared for him but he was loyal and had made chuunin before anybody did. His strategies allowed his team to pass through the exam all the way to the end until individual talents were the basis for judging. Also, he wasn't annoying, perhaps too lazy but when duty called the shadow user was dependable. The boy's technique would be deadly in battle; if he could just immobilize the opponents for a few seconds, it would be more than enough for Naruto and him to take them out cleanly.

He pondered the pros and cons and decided that Shikamaru would actually do well with them. He seemed to get along fine with Naruto's hyper attitude, well, more like tolerated it and he wasn't much of a talker to Sasuke's relief. As much as Naruto had whined about getting Sakura to team up with them he'd have to agree with the Fourth's choice, for now.

"This is temporary?" he asked for clarification. Naruto whipped his head around so fast it looked like he could have snapped his neck.

"You're agreeing to this!?" he demanded, totally offended that Sasuke had taken his dad's side. "What about Sakura and being Team Seven again? Did you forget?" Naruto's voice rose higher with every word that came from his mouth; his arms swung erratically to each syllable.

"Naruto, it's only temporary," Yondaime reasoned with his son; he knew how much Naruto talked about Sakura and teaming up with her again, "Sakura isn't ready for the chuunin exam-"

"I can protect her!" he shouted hotly. Minato frowned at his son but Sasuke beat him to the lecture.

"It's not about protecting her, Dobe. Even if _we_ protect her, what would be the point of her taking the exam anyway if she lacks the skill and experience needed to be promoted? If we become chuunin, think of how far behind she'll feel," he stated; and yes, he did notice that Sakura's depression with her lack of ninja skills got worse with every real fight.

"Not to mention she doesn't know who we are, I doubt she'll be real thrilled to team up with us," he added when Naruto looked like he was still going to argue a useless point. That was just like him though to keep pushing even when things seemed impossible. _In this case though, he's not going to win._ "Whose fault is that?" Naruto mumbled under his breath, but a look from Sasuke shut him up.

"Humph, fine then, if this is only for the exam then lazy Shikamaru it is!" he grumbled out the words of compromise but he looked far from happy. Sasuke watched his face for the slightest signs that he really was upset. He could tell by the way that Naruto gave in so easily that he wasn't completely against Nara being their teammate but to be sure he asked, "I thought you liked Shikamaru?"

The question jarred the blond from his moment of disappointment and his face clouded over slightly with guilt at the thought that he didn't like Shikamaru. "I do like him!" he retorted defensively.

"Then what's the problem?" Obito asked to which Naruto stuck his tongue out childishly and coolly said, "There is no problem. Where is he anyway?" as if he was over the choice of teammates. Sasuke was slightly impressed by his actions; he had thought about the massive pouting and whining that Naruto would do if he didn't get Sakura on the team. Sasuke had been dreading a long day of annoyances from the blond.

"Ah, my little boy's growing up!" Minato complimented and preened like a proud father. Sasuke rolled his eyes; maybe somebody switched Naruto and the Fourth around today as Yondaime seemed overly excited today. His words though made Naruto light up like a big, red bulb.

"Dad," he whined at the embarrassing comment. Minato laughed so Obito answered, "He should be waiting for you two at the bridge."

"What bridge?" Naruto asked but Sasuke frowned. So he didn't want Sakura on their team right away, but using Team Seven's patented bridge meeting point was crossing some line somewhere, he just knew it. It took Naruto a second to register which bridge; they told all sorts of stories of the infamous Team Seven Bridge to the Fourth and Obito and sometimes Itachi so it made sense that they thought having them meet up there would be nice.

"That bridge? What? That's our bridge! Me, Sasuke and Sakura!" Naruto cried out, "You can't just assign stuff to it like that!"

The Fourth stared at Naruto like he had grown a second head, then his serious face came on and the Hokage spoke, "What are you babbling about, Naruto? Your teammate is waiting for you both, I suggest you get going." The order had Naruto gaping and sputtering but Sasuke grabbed his arm and bowed slightly before dragging the blond out of the office before anything else could be said or done.

It was kind of creepy sometimes how similar their train of thoughts could be. If an issue such as this arrived, all he had to do was hold his tongue and Naruto would burst out in outrage or joy and save him the trouble of embarrassing himself. Of course, he also knew when to keep Naruto's mouth shut too. A quick jab to the side or an all out hand over his mouth worked wonders at shutting him up. At first it always led to a brawl but over time Naruto had learned that when he did that, he did it for a good reason.

In this case, enough had been said and they might as well go meet Shikamaru, the lazy boy genius extraordinaire. Luckily for them, Naruto kept his protesting to himself or else they might have just ended up at the academy again.

* * *

_I can't believe that dad would do that!_ Naruto ranted to himself. He was upset because he really wanted Sakura to be on their team just like they did in the old life. He knew his dad had good points and he couldn't argue that Shikamaru wasn't a good choice. But-but he wanted Sakura damn it! And that was the only thing he could come up with.

He could protect her just fine; keep her safe and all that. Sasuke would keep her safe too, but the bastard had sided with his dad of all people! He did bring up a good point too; they hadn't officially come in contact with any of the Rookie Nine yet. Sure they passed them here and there and they've waved in greeting a few times but Sakura didn't know him or Sasuke.

Well, Shikamaru didn't know them either but he knew the boy wouldn't care; he couldn't summon the energy to care. And Shikamaru really was a good guy. Naruto remembered Shikamaru's first mission as a chuunin was to get Sasuke back from the Sound ninja. He had said that he never really liked Sasuke but he had done his best anyway because that's what comrades do.

_Quit your whining I'm trying to sleep, brat._ Kyuubi growled at him only to have Naruto snarl back. _Stupid fox._ It wasn't the best comeback but he didn't want to get into a shouting match with the demon. It was more pain than it was worth.

_Worthless human._ It retorted with another growl but otherwise remained silent. Lately the demon had been more intrusive than ever before. Every time his thoughts wandered the fox pushed his way into his thoughts and insulted him as if that was the key to destroying the seal. At first it had been few and far between but this was twice in one day, the most ever.

He'd have to talk to his dad about it soon. He wondered if he should tell Sasuke first and even if the other would care if he was talking to the demon. In the midst of his thinking he hadn't even realized that they had reached the bridge where Kakashi used to make them wait for hours on end before they started their D rank missions.

From where they were walking down the road by the river he could see someone leaning against the railing with their back to them. Shikamaru stood on the bridge head tilted up toward the heavens as he slouched against the side of the bridge; seeing him like that brought on a strong wave of nostalgia.

He was so used to seeing an older Shikamaru, the boy who stood before them lacked the roughness that had developed when Asuma had died. A smooth face with eyes unbothered by heavy responsibilities, this was the old lazy genius of his childhood.

Naruto wondered if the others would be so similar as well. His father had advised against meeting all his old friends; it would only arouse suspicion and unanswerable questions. Every now that then he'd sneak off and watch them though.

In the academy training grounds directly behind the school building he'd watch Akamaru run around with Kiba. Chouji was never without his bag of snacks as he sat next to Shikamaru. Sakura and Ino never went anywhere without the other and they even included shy little Hinata. It seemed without Sasuke to fuel their rivalry they could be best of friends.

He watched Shino but the boy didn't even really move so he rarely ever watched him for long. The other students were insignificant since he couldn't remember any of them going onto the chuunin exam.

He spent the most time observing his old teacher, Iruka. The man appeared as kind as ever much like he remembered. The thought of just being able to see Iruka in person tempted him many times to just pop out and say 'hi'. He'd almost done it too only to be stopped by Sasuke.

He learned that day that sometimes Sasuke followed him to the academy. Sasuke had glared at him and told him that Iruka didn't know him like he did back then. His words made him remember his encounter with Mizuki; the night he learned that he was the nine-tail's host. Iruka hadn't liked him at first, just like everyone else because he had been orphaned by the demon fox.

It had taken time for Iruka to really come to like him; saddened by the thought his urge to say hello to his teacher faded as Sasuke pulled him away and treated him to ramen. He hadn't wanted ramen but once he figured out that Sasuke was trying to cheer him up his mood brightened considerably.

His reminiscing came to an end when they stepped onto the bridge. Shikamaru didn't even look up at their presence.

"Hey! Shika!" he shouted across the short span of the bridge.

"Oomph!" Sasuke elbowed him in the side and added a 'Dobe' to the glare for the mistake. Naruto rubbed his side and grumbled incoherently. This pretending not to know people really sucked.

The shout did catch the boy's attention though. He glanced at them and raised an eyebrow.

"Shika?" he repeated slightly amused but it looked like the effort cost him, "Sounds even lazier than me." He promptly turned back to the sky.

"Nara Shikamaru," Sasuke stepped forward and Naruto followed him, "I'm Uchiha Sasuke," he finished.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage of Konoha, believe it!" His introduction fell on unimpressed ears as Shikamaru yawned uninterestedly.

"You're our third teammate for the chuunin exam!" Naruto continued excitement evident in his every posture uncaring of the lack of response. Shikamaru turned a lazy eye to him as if to say 'so what'. Still enthusiastic Naruto yelled out, "Let's train!"

He saw Sasuke frown slightly but he ignored him; the guy was always frowning anyway. Shikamaru however didn't even move from his spot. Naruto's passion dimmed slightly and a moment of silence passed with no one speaking or moving.

"You're capable of sparring, aren't you?" the slow, sarcastic comment came from Sasuke but instead of causing hackles to rise like it would for Naruto, it slide off Shikamaru with ease.

"Of course!" Naruto answered for him, "Let's go!"

"Hn." Naruto watched the two make eye contact for a moment before Shikamaru yawned and looked away. In the brief moment though he had noticed the perusal each had done. It irked him to no end that even in this life Sasuke was still such an attention getter! And all he did was stand there too!

Naruto gritted his teeth, he vowed that one day people were going to look at him and recognize him. They were going to know that he was a force to be reckoned with and not just some goof. Annoyed he led the way with Sasuke a few steps behind and Shikamaru trailing slowly after them.

"Alright, why don't we start off with just taijutsu?" Naruto started since neither of the boys seemed eager to start. He had already gotten over not being part of the stare down and was now looking forward to the spar. Granted he knew Shikamaru could do that shadow thing but he'd never really seen him just go at it physically. He couldn't remember much of the shadow user's fight but he didn't recall much actual fighting.

_Oh well, here goes!_

"Let's start!"

He charged Shikamaru only to be stopped in his tracks.

"Eh?" He couldn't move! Only able to operate his eyes he shifted them around frantically. Sasuke was staring at Shika but he didn't seem too concerned.

"Taijutsu's not my thing, Uzumaki," Shikamaru said casually before letting the shadow bind go. Naruto fell forward slightly once he was released; he was slightly disappointed. Apparently Shika had been thinking the same thing all along.

"Well then," he started to mention anything goes but Sasuke interrupted.

"How long can you maintain that jutsu?"

* * *

Sasuke didn't know much about the Nara clan as he hadn't cared much for any other clan growing up. Given the chance had his clan not perished he would have been formally educated in his later years about all the village clans and then some. He had heard of Shikamaru's shadow technique although he had never actually seen it in person. If it could stop Naruto in his tracks like that unawares then it could be devastating if he could maintain it.

"Depends," Nara drawled.

"Why don't you test the two of us then, see how long you last," he suggested. If they knew how long he could hold them then it'd be easy to gauge the amount of time he could hold other chuunin hopefuls. Naruto and he wouldn't need very much time to attack immobilized targets.

"Sure," he said slowly as if he couldn't care less. He formed the hand seals and two shadows shot out toward each of them connecting and binding them to the shadow user.

Sasuke felt it immediately, the foreign feeling of being confined and unable to move stirred up something inside of him; he didn't like the feeling one bit. So he fought.

Calling upon his chakra he felt its warm flow rush into his limbs; the electric element of his chakra warmed his coils and the comforting feeling filled him. Instinctively like flexing his muscles his chakra expanded and broke the shadow's bind on him. Naruto seemed to have no more problems at breaking the hold either and he watched the shadow return to the shocked user.

"Try a little harder this time," Sasuke half-mocked the gaping boy.

"How did you break my jutsu so easily?" he demanded.

"Cuz we're awesome!" Naruto piped in. Sasuke ignored him, "Using chakra," he explained shortly.

"Hn," Shikamaru didn't comment but his indifferent eyes took on a determination that hadn't been there before at this new challenge. While he pondered how to last longer than the first try, Naruto and Sasuke stood by.

When Shikamaru nodded and brought his hands together in an unknown seal Sasuke frowned. That seal wasn't part of the twelve animal signs or anything even resembling anything he'd ever seen before. Maybe it was clan secret. With all his finger tips touching, his thumbs above his fingers, the boy closed his eyes. Sasuke glanced at Naruto quickly to see if the blond knew what was going on but he seemed just as clueless.

For several moments Shikamaru stood unmoving like that. Naruto stepped forward hesitantly at first before taking several more steps and calling out his name, "Shika?"

As he was close enough Naruto reached out a hand to poke the unresponsive boy. Sasuke tensed, senses alert, prepared for anything that could happen. His lack of knowledge concerning the Nara clan frustrated him. He stared hard as Naruto's hand came closer and closer to Nara's sleeve. He resisted the urge to activate his Sharingan.

"Shikamaru?" His eyes opened and Naruto practically flew several steps back in self preservation. Sasuke's muscles bunched and he waited for something, anything, to happen. The boy's serious expression belied his decision.

"I can't," he stated simply. His hands dropped back to their usual spot beside his sides and he shrugged. The Hokage had briefed him slightly about the skill level of the two boys, but he hadn't expected them to break his shadow so easily. His shadow jutsu wasn't just about strength of will; it was more about the amount of chakra he had. As an academy graduate he had a lot to improve on still.

"What?!" Naruto wailed, "You didn't even try!" The blond was clearly upset at the lack of effort, but it didn't seem like Shikamaru cared. Sasuke sighed inwardly; it seemed they'd have to get used to this attitude from the boy.

"I know my abilities, Uzumaki," he replied curtly in his defense. Sasuke spoke up when it looked like Naruto was going to drag out the issue even more.

"Seems like we've got a lot of training to do then."

* * *

A/N:

Voila mes amis! (And no, I'm not French, however, I am required to take two semesters of a language and I chose French)

I was motivated to post this chapter by several readers' reviews. I know I told everyone I wasn't abandoning this fic but it's hard to believe when there are no updates right? I had this chapter written for a while now I just tweaked it here and there. The story is still in transition; I'm setting up the stage for the plot to unfurl. And yes, things are still different, as you read here. Things will become much clearer as the next few chapters come out. You'll really start to see how different this Konoha is from the other one. Of course I'll try to make things as realistic as possible.

I hope all my faithful reviewers are still with me! I'm really sorry, but I've never been one to rush a story…Please let me know what you think!


	16. Chapter 16

Wrong Again

Chapter 16

Thank you to my faithful readers for sticking with me thus far. I know it's been a while but not as long as the last time (phew!) Anyway, the more I write the more I realize that this could damn well be too long of a story! There's so many aspects that I want to explore. Everything's in my head but as some reviewers have pointed out to me, there are several holes in the stories that are confusing because it's in my head but I either didn't write it down (intentionally) or I simply didn't think about it at all, which happens. A lot. **So if there's question please ask! **Because there might be an answer waiting for you!

Btw, this is an eventual narusasunaru fic and if you're impatient, please realize that in all manners of speaking, they are only 12 physically, and I will not throw them together without developing their relationship (if you want that kind of a story there are plenty out there that do it with one chapter or less).

There are quite a few POV jumps, I've separated them with lines but it should still read smoothly (hopefully).

Otherwise, please enjoy!

* * *

"Oi, Naruto, quit rocking your chair," Shika complained when the blonde's impatient rocking was jostling him around. The three were sitting at Naruto's favorite restaurant after a long day of intense training with Itachi. Obito was a little softer on them and put more emphasis on teamwork; Itachi however expected perfection, or damn near close to it, from the three boys when it came to techniques. The crazy physical training had been hell but he could already see huge improvements in himself. Each boy was nursing their own thoughts and Shikamaru just couldn't stand Naruto's fidgeting as his ribs hurt from a vicious kick a couple hours ago.

Naruto on the other hand seemed perfectly fine. The boy couldn't wait for his ramen to arrive and was thus barely holding onto his seat. Sasuke sat on the other side of Naruto in a dark glower. When Shikamaru thought on it, Itachi was tough but he always seemed tougher on Sasuke. Today the older Uchiha had pulled Sasuke aside briefly. Whatever had transpired between the two had left the younger Sharingan wielder in a foul mood.

Shikamaru studied him briefly; not even Naruto had been able to cheer him up. If there was one thing he had learned fast, the two boys were like the moon and the sun, completely opposite but irrevocably attached at the same time.

"Ahh," he grunted when Naruto practically leapt for the bowl approaching him. Shikamaru looked to Ayame who carried his bowl. He didn't have time to ponder the other boy's mood. Naruto would get to it later. With a gusto that surprised even himself he dug into his own bowl of ramen just realizing that he was starving. All this troublesome training sucked.

"Eh, Sasuke, what'd Itachi say to you?" Naruto mouthed around his fourth bowl of noodles. If it was even possible Sasuke's fierce scowl darkened more at the question. The boy lowered his face closer to his bowl and shoved a chopstick full of noodles into his mouth. Shika didn't bother to tell Naruto that now wasn't a good time to pester the Uchiha.

It had been over a week since he became part of this team. He learned pretty fast when to stay out of someone's way and when to offer an enlightening comment or two. No one could say he didn't try at first only to learn that Naruto never listened to him and Sasuke didn't care. Letting Naruto take his course was always the best action, not to mention it made his life easier-most of the times. Hell, he'd learned a lot of stuff. He even learned that sometimes yelling worked better at getting the two boys' attention than his shadow technique which was sadly still not able to hold them for very long. He never in his life imagined that anyone would get him to yell. The shocked duo had been stunned into silence-mainly Naruto, but Obito had sported a knowing grin.

"Sasuke? Teme! What did he say?" Naruto's persistent prodding went unheeded by Sasuke. A poke to the side earned him a muted glare with a muttered 'mind your own business.'

"Fine, be a bastard, see if I care!" Naruto retorted before digging into his bowl once more. Shikamaru sighed inwardly in relief; he didn't need to be caught up in another of their fights. Half the time he didn't even know how they started.

As he finished his bowl he heard the familiar cry of his name from down the road. Two boys and a puppy ambled up amicably to his side. The red tattoos and puppy marked the more exuberant boy as Kiba. The other munching on a bag of chips was none other than his best friend Chouji. The two were originally in his class at the academy. Ever since he graduated he hadn't seen them every day like he used to.

"Hey, Shikamaru!" Kiba greeted and slung an arm around his neck almost knocking over his empty bowl. He grunted at the pain but otherwise remained silent. Chouji's greeting was much more civilized. He gave a wave and popped another handful of chips into his mouth in lieu of speaking.

"So what are you doing here, man? We haven't seen you in a week!" Kiba exclaimed, not noticing the blond and brunette beside Shikamaru.

"I've been assigned to a team," the shadow user said casually. He wasn't one to gloat at all but as soon as he said the words he winced. To Kiba, the sentence would sound like gloating. He'd be lucky if the boy didn't take offense at the non-existent challenge.

"What?" predictably the dog lover shouted, he grabbed Shikamaru by the sleeve of his jacket. "When did this happen? Mizuki-sensei never said anything to us! That's not fair! Who are your teammates?" As his voice rose he started shaking the tired boy as if doing so would make him talk faster.

* * *

"Hey, dog-breath! We're his teammates!"

Naruto couldn't help but be annoyed that the two boys hadn't even noticed them yet. He hadn't seen them personally yet and it was killing him not being able to say anything. So when Kiba demanded to know who they were he jumped at the chance to be seen.

"That's right; me and Teme here are Shika's teammates. We're gonna compete in the chuunin exams!" His mouth started running and he loved the gaping attention that he was getting. He grinned and opened his mouth to let out more but a hard knock to his ribs shut him up. It was like reflex now. Every time Sasuke elbowed him he automatically shut his mouth. He didn't want to admit it, but it was a habit he had to pick up on due to his father's method of punishment.

"Uchiha Sasuke and this idiot is Uzumaki Naruto," Sasuke calmly greeted the shocked pair. Naruto mumbled under his breath about stupid bastards always trying to sound cooler than him before he perked up again. Now that they've been introduced finally he could talk to them!

Kiba was still gaping at the declaration that they were competing in the chuunin exam. Chouji took it in stride as if he knew Shikamaru was always going to compete. "Hey, when is that anyway, Shika? Your dad said you've been busy. He said he never would have guessed the day would come when he'd see you actually run that fast just for training," Chouji spoke in-between bites.

"It's in a couple of weeks," Shika answered, inwardly waiting for Kiba to explode. The boy hadn't recovered yet. In truth, he reminded him of Naruto. The blond was a bit slow sometimes and tended to overreact to things. At first it was annoying, then it was a little funny, but now it was just normal.

"WHAT!" Naruto grinned smugly at the disbelief on Kiba's face. In the first exam he had fought Kiba and won. Thinking back on it, he defeated Kiba but only because it brought him closer to the one person he wanted to fight and that was Sasuke. Too bad Kiba hadn't graduated yet; they wouldn't be entering the exam this year.

"Yeah, we're gonna be chuunins in a couple of weeks, dog-breath!" he laughed loudly and obnoxiously at the boy. He missed the way Sasuke rolled his eyes and looked away. Shikamaru sighed and straightened up just in case he had to keep Kiba from jumping the blond. He wasn't worried about Naruto; the kid could take a thousand hits to the head and still stand up and ask for ramen. Kiba was just as hot-headed as Naruto; he only lacked the power to back up his temper.

"What the hell? Why are you calling me dog-breath, loser? What kind of ninja wears _orange_?" Kiba retaliated. He sneered at the dirty jumpsuit, "Enemy ninja can spot you from miles away! You're partners with this idiot, Shika?" The boy scoffed and the testosterone level rose as Naruto's temper flared at the insult. No one called him an idiot and got away with it!

"You're just jealous, you're not even a ninja yet, _dog-breath_," Naruto taunted.

"You won't be one for long wearing that!" By now both boys were almost nose to nose, short of fire breathing. Kiba reached for Naruto's jacket while Naruto simultaneously pulled his fist back.

"Enough." The shadow pulled Kiba back and the boy gaped in shock. A pale hand held onto Naruto's fist and the other wrapped around his middle, tugging him back away from Kiba. Shikamaru had spoken and stopped Kiba. Sasuke had grabbed him since the jutsu wouldn't have kept him back.

"We're leaving. Later Shikamaru," Sasuke spoke evenly as he tugged Naruto with him. Naruto tried to protest but one look at Sasuke's murderous glare had him holding his tongue. Whenever Sasuke had _that_ look on his face it meant 'bother me and die'. He settled for turning his nose up at Kiba and sneering, "Later dog-breath, bye Chouji, Shika!"

"Why you little jerk! Shikamaru let me go! I'm gonna beat the shit out of that cocky bastard!" Kiba's voice faded as they left. As they were out of sight Naruto lost his smug look and sighed; that hadn't gone as well as he had thought. Kiba was supposed to worship him and ask him about what missions he was taking and all the cool stuff he had learned! They weren't supposed to argue and fight!

"You've always fought with Kiba, let it go," Sasuke muttered as he let go of him and kept walking. Naruto pouted, "No we don't! There was that time when we were at the academy and he helped me prank Hachiko-sensei."

"That was before, Dobe. He doesn't know you that way," Sasuke pointed out, "You'd think after so many years you'd get used to this Konoha." Sasuke had a point, but it was hard letting go of his past friends because he didn't have the present ones to distract him, to create new memories. It was easy for Sasuke to say because he never really talked to them. He pointed this out to Sasuke.

"Whatever, Dobe," and he jumped up towards the roof only to disappear in a transportation jutsu leaving a stunned and slightly hurt Naruto behind.

"Moody bastard," he gritted out. Maybe he'd go and find Itachi and see what the hell that creepy prick did to Sasuke. Despite Itachi being the older brother Sasuke wanted, Naruto had never really got over the fact that Itachi, if given the chance, was totally capable of pulling a massacre again. The man's mentality allowed him to perform jobs that totally fucked with one's nindo. He only tolerated him for Sasuke's sake and teased him as best he could but inside, Itachi was still there standing in the way. He was still that unmoving obstacle that truly kept Sasuke from him completely. He'd always had to share Sasuke with him and sometimes it just pissed him off, just like right now.

He'd leave Sasuke to brood for now knowing the bastard didn't want to be bothered. Instead he turned toward his home where his dad wouldn't be back yet from the tower. In fact, he'd be going home alone. Most days it didn't even enter his mind but the interaction with Kiba along with a pissy Sasuke had soured his good mood. So with one more turn he made his way to the Hokage Monument for his favorite thinking spot.

* * *

It took minutes for him to get home. Usually he'd spend time with Naruto after training and just hang out; at least they would have stayed at the ramen stand a little longer. But what Itachi had told him today had ruined any kind of good day he could have had.

This morning his mom had made Itachi and him breakfast. Some days he'd sleep at home and others he'd spend at Naruto's place. She'd packed him some rice balls for a snack and she had made extra so that Naruto could have some too. The sun was shining and everything was going great. Ever since that night six years ago he spent every day cherishing all the small things; his mom's smile, Itachi's teasing comments, Naruto's obnoxious ways and even the peacefulness of Konoha.

He spent every night before going to bed thinking about how right most things were here. In fact, if someone asked him, he'd never go back to the old life that he left behind. This was a miraculous gift given to him, this second chance, and he wasn't going to waste it.

The day moved on and he went to training with his teammates, Naruto and Shika. It was Itachi's week to train them and he was looking forward to it. He knew his brother expected the best out of him and he didn't want to disappoint him.

Training was going fine; it was hard, exhilarating and challenging, nothing Kakashi did could ever compare to this. But the way his brother stared at him, made little corrections to his posture, his techniques all throughout sparring had bothered him. It wasn't bad at first, but as the day wore on he was getting mad. Whatever he did was unsatisfactory and his frustration just made things worse. He tried to keep his patience; after all, his brother did know what he was talking about.

It wasn't until Itachi had dismissed them for the day that he had a small moment of peace. In fact, he was looking forward to going to the ramen stand and just relaxing, maybe even listen to Naruto ramble about something. The peace was short lived though as Itachi motioned him over. Naruto and Shika glanced at them but were waved away by Itachi.

It didn't strike him as odd that Itachi would pull him off to the side like this. He often stayed back for a few minutes and conversed about training tips and such. Not thinking much of it he was completely taken by surprise by the harsh words.

"_You're too soft." Itachi's eyes pierced his own. They were blank but that made them all the more accusing and cruel. His thoughts had yet to catch up before Itachi continued his criticism._

"_If you keep it up, Naruto will die. Can you imagine him gone?" the words cut deep, especially from his brother. "You think that this world is perfect and because the Fourth and I am here, nothing will go wrong. So you don't try as hard, train as hard; you don't prepare for what could and will happen-"_

"_It won't happen," at this point he couldn't stand there and accept his brother's words. The truth of the statements clawed at him but he wasn't going to admit it. There was no way he'd let Naruto die, not on his watch. "I won't let it happen."_

"_Bold words, but words won't stop a man like Madara," Itachi countered, "Be warned, little brother. At this point you won't win." Itachi's words make him freeze. What the hell was his brother talking about?_

"_What do you mean 'at this point'?" he demanded. His brother's expressionless face darkened as he answered, "There have been reports of Madara moving around Fire Country." Disbelief wanted him to deny his brother's words but he overcame it with determination. If the man was moving around then he was planning something. His heart told him to be strong but his mind knew that Itachi was right. Perhaps if he were up to par with his old self, he'd have a chance against Madara right now. _

_Without the mengekyuo or any of its unique techniques he wasn't capable of going head to head with the Uchiha clan founder. The thought only made him mad. For six years he'd been training, but most of it had been wasted on cherishing created memories. Had he had the drive he did back then, the drive that made him seek out Orochimaru for power, he would have far surpassed anything his old self could have been by now._

_It was with a dark mood that he followed Naruto and Shika to the ramen stand. He'd been so engrossed in planning and yelling at himself that he hadn't even noticed Kiba and Chouji until the dog lover had spoken. _

He had counted to ten to try for patience but a glance at Naruto's shaking form shot that attempt to hell. Thinking on it now he knew he shouldn't have gone with them but what was done was done; just like the wasted years, he couldn't bring them back that he knew how. It was time to start getting serious.

With his head finally clear he decided he'd go to the Fourth. He'd fill Naruto in later on a need to know basis. Standing up from his bed where he'd gone straight to once he got home, he teleported to the Hokage's office leaving his mother downstairs where she had yet to notice him coming or going.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

From the window of his office he could see Naruto scale the faces of the previous Hokages. His little orange and blond blur plopped himself on top of his very own stone spikes. When Naruto laid back he could no longer see him. Minato knew Naruto only went there when he wanted time alone. Too much recently he'd watch his son make that trip. He wondered what it was about this time.

He'd first given the order for Naruto and Sasuke to not interfere with the other children's lives back when they attended the academy. He knew Naruto couldn't stand it and Sasuke didn't care for the most part. But lately the order had been harder and harder for Naruto to obey. He'd been notified of a few close calls; usually Sasuke stopped him but once or twice another had to remind him.

Naruto tried to hide it, especially from him, less so with Sasuke, but now and then he could see the nostalgia in his eyes as he thought of what used to be. Minato sighed; for Sasuke, this life was what used to be, what he should have had. Not so for Naruto, who had grown into who he was through trial and hardship.

Minato made a note to talk to Naruto and maybe redress that order. Perhaps with the chuunin exam right around the corner he could introduce the two to the academy students as model genins.

Speak of the devil-or one of them in this case. Sasuke didn't bother to knock when he opened the door to his office. One look at the serious, "adult" expression on Sasuke's face wiped away any thoughts of Naruto's social life. He knew that look; it was only when Sasuke came out of his childish shell ready to talk strategy and orders.

"Yes, Sasuke?"

Without preamble the youth spoke, "Madara has been active." There was no question however Minato knew he wanted confirmation as well as more information. Itachi must have already hinted at the recent report. He normally would never tolerate such a leak of classified information but the two were brothers and Sasuke had a right to know.

"Yes, his current location is unknown. Last area of interaction was Wakai, several kilometers north of Fire Country's northeast border. His intentions there are unconfirmed as he did not interact with locals. Speculation is that it was a rendezvous with potential recruits. Villagers noticed another stranger but could not recall enough information to describe them. Madara must have used some kind of genjutsu to confuse anybody who could have seen them.

"For now I'm not ordering anything more than what I've been doing," Minato finished off. Sasuke did not protest. There wasn't enough to do anything about. Madara could teleport from place to place easily so going after him would be a waste of time.

"We're short on numbers as it is," Minato continued, "With the chuunin exam taking place I need ninja here. From the sounds of it there shouldn't be any problems from Suna or other countries. But Madara might have something planned with all the commotion. Please be extra careful, Sasuke."

* * *

The entire time Sasuke listened to the Fourth he was also thinking. If it was a potential rendezvous then that meant Akatsuki couldn't be complete yet. He didn't know the order in which they had been recruited and hadn't cared back then either. He only recalled the annoying blonde with the masked Tobi who had been Madara playing the fool. There had been no reports of a blond rogue with clay bomb techniques in the bingo book.

Once again, fate may have never given that person a chance like it did to Kakashi. They could only wait for more information. Sasuke hated this waiting game. He should be training right now despite having already spent the entire day doing so. It would relieve his mind perhaps. He thought of Naruto who was probably already at home waiting for him. He thought of how he had left the blond and decided that going home was not the best course of action.

"Yes, Yondaime-sama," he answered to the man's request to be extra careful. Of course there was the chuunin exam but he was not concerned with that. If Naruto and he followed the rules then regardless of what happened they would be promoted, perhaps Shikamaru too. Word from Suna was that Gaara was alive but more unstable than he'd ever seen. He doubted they would allow him to wreak havoc here in Konoha.

He hoped for the best but knew to prepare for the worst, or so Itachi had told him many times. He was drawn from his musings when Minato spoke again.

"He's sitting on my head out there if you wish to speak to him." The comment wasn't a suggestion. The Fourth had always been astute when it came to unspoken matters between Naruto and him. However, tonight was not a good night. He might give his secrets away. It had been determined since that day six years ago in the office to leave Naruto out of this issue. They had decided to let him have the childhood he should have received. Being on a need-to-know basis irked the blond but so far it had yet to be an issue. He lowered his head slightly in a negative response.

"I'm afraid I'm not good company tonight, Hokage-sama. I would only make things worse." Their eyes met and after a few seconds the older man nodded in leniency. He wouldn't push the issue at the moment.

With that Sasuke bowed deeply and dismissed himself. He was never formal with Naruto's father, only so when it was in front of others or when it came to grave matters like this. As he made his way to their personal training grounds he began his pre-kata meditations. It had been too long since he'd done them; the last time had been a few nights before he had killed Orochimaru.

* * *

Naruto brooded. His mood darkened even more when he knew that he had never brooded before. He blamed Sasuke and Itachi and his father and even Obito. He thought of everything that was going on and that wasn't going on and on what he should be doing at the moment but wasn't. His father was being patronizing and pretending that things were fine. All the others were in on it and he knew Sasuke had something to do with it. He wasn't fragile damn it! He still hadn't been able to prove to Sasuke that he wasn't second best. He was an equal; he ought to know what was going on too. The way Itachi looked at him sometimes made him mad but he blew his anger off on punching the trees or pounding the ground. Sometimes he took that anger out on punches and kicks at Sasuke because he was to blame too.

Most times he came here to internalize it all then let it out in one long sigh…or two. Recently it was two sighs now. He didn't like it but he didn't want to ruin it for Sasuke. He knew his other half wanted this more than anything and was willing to do much keep it. So he kept silent and watched his old friends from afar and smiled like nothing was wrong.

He didn't want to go home. Mostly he didn't want to sleep. He'd been dreaming a lot lately of what used to be. It was mostly because of Kyuubi. The fox demon didn't know the details of anything but it remembered the way Naruto felt. So it supplied the emotions and with his hyperactive subconscious the dreams were vivid and realistic.

They fueled his nostalgia and every time he dreamed it got worse. There were moments when he would wake up completely pissed off at Sasuke for doing something to show him up on a D mission only to find that Sasuke didn't recall whatever he'd been talking about.

Or how he'd called Obito Kakashi that one time. He shook his head. This sucked. He thought about sleeping out here. His dad wouldn't come looking, he already probably saw him climbing out here. Sasuke was iffy, it really depended on his mood if he'd come looking or not. In the end he sat up and made his way home.

Dreams or not, he wanted his bed and that stupid fox wouldn't keep him from it.

* * *

Sasuke entered their room to find Naruto climbing into bed. Their eyes met and held, neither able to look away. Something had changed with Sasuke; Naruto could almost smell it on him. He had showered but he might as well have come straight from training with the way the adrenaline still seeped from his pores. There was an air about him, a determination that had Naruto rethinking about his choice of coming home.

Naruto was the first to look away, slightly unnerved.

"Bastard," he muttered under his breath for good measure as he turned his back to the other boy. For what felt like the longest time Sasuke stared at him. He could feel those dark eyes boring into his back but he stayed rigid, refusing to give in to whatever it was. He didn't remember when he fell asleep but the warmth on his back may have kept the dreams away because Kyuubi couldn't recall this emotion.

* * *

**Thank you to those who have read and to those who have read and reviewed, letting me know that this fic isn't dead and decaying somewhere on ff net. Once again, it's been a very long time. It's time to move the story along. I've read and re-read this chapter a million times and thought about cutting it off in so many places but I wanted to get to a little bit of tension between Naruto and Sasuke before I ended it. If you can guess the kind of tension then brownie points for you! I don't know how long you'll have to wait on the next chapter…Sorry.**


	17. Chapter 17

Wrong Again

Chapter 17

**Wow, I just reviewed some notes that I wrote down for the general ending/plot for this fic and it totally threw me off! It's been awhile since I've been thinking about this story, lol. Thanks for the reviews everyone! Every time I get one the guilt just **_**eats**_** at me! Lol, well, enjoy this very short chapter!

* * *

**

It had taken Sasuke several days as he pondered continuously about achieving the Mangekyuo that it finally dawned on him. He recalled that Kakashi had managed to gain some version of it through training alone. It had never mattered to him back then how Kakashi could have gotten it when he knew how he was going to get his. That was no longer an option. He made a note to talk to his mother and brother immediately about that possibility. He'd have to go through the clan archives again and possibly the other one too.

Today was their one day off. It was the day before the Chuunin exam. Minato had cut them some slack and told them to go have fun. He did advise them to stay away from the foreign ninja despite the confirmation that Suna had not sent their volatile jinchuuriki to the exam.

He was currently in his room in his mother's house. Naruto and Shika had decided to wander around town. He had been invited but had declined, giving the excuse that his mother wanted him to help her clean out the house and this was the only free time he had. He had already cleaned the house; Naruto's Kage Bunshin technique came in handy for simple chores.

"Sasuke!" Mikoto called from down the hall, "Lunch is ready!" He set down the scroll that he had been scouring. It was a good time as any to take a break and ask his mom about the sharingan. He'd never seen her use it but Itachi said that mother had been a formidable ninja before she settled into her role as housewife and finally as a mother.

In fact, it was their mother who had first taught Itachi anything about being a ninja. He had been surprised by the comment and for the first time he really saw his mother in a new light. He'd only known her as the gentle, loving mother who took care of him when he fell or got hurt. He thought his father had been a great shinobi but his mother's records had surpassed his father's by far.

He exited his room closing the door behind him. Upon entering the kitchen he found her already sitting down and enjoying her meal.

"Hello, Sasuke," she greeted. She had yet to see him today at all. Her two sons were alive yet she saw them so rarely that some days she wondered if she was only dreaming. Itachi was hardly ever home; with the Hokage ordering him on mission after mission she maybe saw him once a week or two if she was lucky.

There was an air about her two boys that excluded her. There was something going on that they were keeping from her. Recently it had gotten worse. Sasuke hadn't left his room this week unless it was for training or researching. She hadn't seen Itachi at all. For all she knew he wasn't even in the village at the moment. She knew it was bad when she hadn't seen Naruto over at all. The bright, happy boy was always by Sasuke's side yet Sasuke had come home alone again.

"What are your plans for your day off?" she asked after he had sat down. Sasuke glanced around the room and shrugged nonchalantly, "Nothing much, just looking at some scrolls." She knew an evasive answer when she heard one but she didn't push it.

"Where's Naruto?" Naruto always made everything better. She loved the little moments when Sasuke would mention one of Naruto's antics with a tiny smile.

"Wandering around town with Shikamaru," he answered offhandedly. She hid her frown at his dismissal. Instead she watched him scoop some rice into his mouth and chew. She had made fish with rice. It was a light lunch, mostly because she hoped he would stay for dinner. Sasuke knew this. He thought about what he had to do tonight and figured dinner was probably the least he could do if anything went wrong tomorrow.

"Hey, how much do you know about the sharingan?" he asked straight out. He didn't want to be rude but beating around the bush wouldn't do either of them any favors. His mother seemed taken aback by the question at first but he saw the changing emotions on her face. The topic seemed to anger her before she schooled her expression to a calmer one.

"Enough, I guess," she hated the cursed eyes of her clan. There were nights where she dreamed that she had never mentioned anything to Fugaku. Inwardly she let go of that regret for the moment. If she hadn't planted that seed, would things have been the same as they were today? Where would they be as a family? He might have never sought help.

"I want to know about the Mangekyuo Sharingan," he answered without hesitation. He stared straight into his mother's eyes. He watched as her grey eyes clouded over with a dark emotion. She didn't bother to hide her agitation at his request.

"What about it?" her voice was barely audible. She sat straighter, almost defensively. Sasuke pondered his mother's strange reaction to his question. She had to know something if she was acting this strange. He pushed on, hoping she wouldn't withhold information from him. He was pretty sure she knew more than 'just enough'.

"How can I get it?"

Mikoto gasped and swallowed at the same time in her shock and haste to say something. She hadn't thought he'd be so direct. Hell, she didn't even know he knew anything about it! Not many knew about it, even among most of the sharingan wielders. She coughed and hacked as her lungs tried to force out the unwanted liquid from their depths. Sasuke stood up and went to fetch some water.

He didn't think his request would startle his mother that much…unless she knew how to get it; which meant that she might be able to help him get it the way Kakashi did. Perhaps it was time to clue his mother in on some things since it was obvious Itachi hadn't done so.

By the time he had come back with water his mother had recovered but her gaze was severe and disapproving. He'd never thought that he would be on the receiving end of such a look from her. Slightly apprehensive, as if he were six years old again, he offered her the cup of water and sat down.

"You'll do no such thing," she chastised sharply. If he was going to be blunt so could she. There was no way in hell she'd let her precious little baby boy achieve such a cursed state of being. She saw that he was going to protest; quickly she spoke, "How did you find out about _that_?" The way she said it made it sound like a diseased and disgusting thing.

Sasuke was taken aback by her tone. He'd never seen his mother like this before. Once more he could only answer her obediently.

"I've been in the archives," he answered slowly. He was aware that access to the archives was restricted, but Yondaime had given him permission to use it as much as he needed.

"What are you doing in there? Who let you in?" she demanded.

"I have the Hokage's permission to utilize the archives, mom," he continued to say softly, trying to calm her down while he figured out why she was acting so defensive and upset. His comment about having permission from the Hokage didn't sit well with her as he had hoped. In fact it seemed to cause her more distress.

"What's wrong mom?" he asked.

"You shouldn't ask about it anymore. It's not good for you or anyone," she evaded his question. In dismissal she stood up and started cleaning the table. He watched baffled as his mother cleaned swiftly and efficiently. She said no more as she disappeared out of the room along with his unfinished lunch.

Perhaps he wouldn't stay for dinner after all.

* * *

It was mid-afternoon when Naruto finished his lunch alone at his favorite ramen stand. Putting on a happy front for the old man was easy especially since he had ramen to stuff his face with. He was feeling weird though; since that day Kiba and Chouji ran into them here a week ago he'd felt off.

He wasn't sure what it was. Sasuke was acting weird, as in more broody and colder than usual. Itachi was nowhere to be found though he couldn't care less where that guy was. His dad was busier than normal with nobles and big shots coming into town for the exam. Obito was busy too running around doing errands for his dad.

They were all busy; which was why his dad had given them the day off. He was supposed to be with Shika but the other boy had been recruited by his bossy mom to clean his room. Lately all Shika had been doing when he was home was eat and collapse on his bed. Apparently his room was a pig-sty; boy was he in trouble!

And Sasuke had also been told to clean by his mom too. He knew though that it was just an excuse to be by himself. Since that day when Sasuke had been in a foul mood he'd been extremely antisocial and often secluded himself away from everyone else.

Naruto had never felt lonelier.

So instead of going to his favorite spot he had let his feet carry him around town. He was literally going where the wind took him as a breeze nudged him in another direction. He'd been going to the Hokage Monument too often and now every time he was there he was just thinking too much. He wasn't in the mood to think today.

His dad told him he'd get to meet the other genins tomorrow at the exam and he could talk to them there. From then on he wouldn't be restricted from interacting with anyone anymore. It had made him happy and he couldn't wait. But the happy news had been dimmed by the fact that he was still alone at the moment. His mind wandered over what he would say to anyone when he met them. He wondered if Neji was still a prick and if he'd have to beat the crap out of him again. He smiled slightly at the memory that changed the Hyuuga boy forever.

Perhaps fuzzy brows would be there. He was excited; maybe he could fight fuzzy brows since Gaara wouldn't be there. Then he would be the one to fight Sasuke! His mood brightened at the thought of punching the bastard in the face. He had it coming for being so prissy lately.

Happy now he finally tuned back into his surroundings only to find that the wind had brought him to an area of the village he hardly ever ventured into. He knew not too far from where he was he would find the Forest of Death where his last chuunin exam had been held. His father had refused to say anything about the exam so he headed for the forest.

Was the exam going to be there again? Did it matter how many contestants there were? The closer he got the more curious he became. Was it as scary and spooky as it was the first time when he really was a fresh genin with no experience? Would anyone noticed if he went inside?

He approached the formidably high fence. There was a creepiness to it that made him want to run away; to go back to the rest of the village, to return to the Hokage tower, to his dad, to Sasuke. A nagging thought pushed its way into his mind; that they weren't there for him, all too busy worrying about the future.

The wind pushed him forward.

* * *

Minato was exhausted but he made himself get up. He was going to go home and catch a quick nap before the exam would start tomorrow. Everything was in place. They could only do so much. There was no knowing if Madara would strike during the exam in Orochimaru's place.

The man was planning something but they hadn't been able to figure out anything. His secretive movements were traced and followed but to no avail. They could only plan for the worst.

He covered up a yawn but couldn't hide the second one. Man, was he tired! This wasn't good but things had to get done. He made his way out of the door, sealing the wards behind him before he went home. Maybe he'd catch a glimpse of Naruto before morning came.

It was to any empty house that he came to. It wasn't unusual; perhaps Naruto was spending the night with Sasuke at his mother's place. Minato yawned and went to his room. He tossed and turned, fitful and restless until his alarm went off signaling the start of the new day.

He changed his clothes, wrinkled his nose at the way he smelled. Quickly he shed his clothes and took a shower. It would help to wake him up.

The house was still empty. The two boys would already be waiting with the rest of the genin. Normally he would make coffee; he hated it but it did wonders for jump starting his brain. Today his senses were sharp despite his lack of sleep. There was something on the edge of his mind, like he had forgotten something.

Was there something that he had forgotten? Did they miss something? His gut told him to find Naruto and Sasuke. There was an identifying flare of chakra outside his house. Boar was signaling that it was time to go.

He pulsed back a response: wait. Then he was gone.

* * *

Obito stared at the genins of the exam. Some were so damn young. Hell, the young outnumbered the old. He studied the veterans of the exam and wondered how many times some of them have tried; hell, why they kept trying after this long.

He looked for anyone with white hair. Despite the snake's death, the so-called Kabuto hadn't been accounted for. Minato hadn't recalled any particular pupils under Orochimaru at the time of his death. No one with astounding medical skills rivaling Tsunade.

Still he looked. His eyes landed briefly on the three boys. He had observed them earlier when they had first arrived. All were solemn and quiet, especially Naruto. Sasuke didn't appear bothered by it so he had let it rest. Shikamaru was doing a good job of looking bored but then again, maybe he was. Sasuke was impassive as he stared at everyone and no one at the same time.

Obito stared at Naruto. He saw Naruto the day before yesterday. It had been his day to train them. He had been hard, ruthless compared to how he was usually. There had been a moment when Naruto had looked at him like he'd never seen him before. The boy had looked away though; dusted himself off and looked up like nothing had happened.

Shikamaru had spoken and that was the end of that. This solemn… _body_… wasn't really Naruto yet it felt like Naruto. The chakra was unmistakable. So he kept waiting for the boy to spark up and challenge everyone, to boast that he'd become a chuunin for sure.

They had agreed to not let the boys know anything about the exam just for the sake of it being a challenge. Minato had thought about altering the exam but decided against it. The chuunin exam initially tested for team work and then individual skill. Naruto and Sasuke had flawless teamwork and Shika only complimented them. It was good the way it was.

It was Anko's turn to proctor this year and she'd been approved. There were only seventeen teams this year, a surprisingly low number compared to previous years. Four were from Stone, two from Grass, two from Cloud, three from Mist, two from Sand, one from Rain and two from Leaf. The last team had insignias that were unfamiliar to him but registration reminded him that they were from the little known hidden village Waterfall.

Anko would go over the rules and lead them to the test area. After that it was up to Asuma to direct the individual exhibits of strength. Every country's exam was different but most followed the same format. The last one had been in Mist but he hadn't been there for that one or the ones before either with the exception of his own exam. His team had made record time with Kakashi taking the lead.

He pulled back from his thoughts as he sensed the impending crazy scary woman.

Like a heart attack Anko appeared, crashing through a wall putting all the genin on alert. She emerged from the dust with a deranged smile.

"Who wants to be a chuunin?

* * *

**Did I promise the chuunin exam this chapter? Well, you have the beginnings of it! Sorry, this was very much a build-up of what was coming. I don't think you guys can guess what I'm planning, I mean what Madara is planning! I'm excited since the story should roll a little faster and things begin coming together (if they haven't already?) I don't know, I keep saying that but it hasn't happened. So maybe I'll just stop promising anything and just leave it be.**

**One side note though:**

**I thought about where I wanted to take this fic. Originally I wanted it to be epic, you know, a million chapters with every single character of Naruto having some role. But as time goes on I got lazy and busy and then lazy again. So I'm cutting out the socializing and focusing on the drama if that makes any sense at all. Guess you will all find out what I mean. Then maybe someday I'll come back and re-write it the way I wanted to (right, not promising anything).**


	18. Chapter 18

Wrong Again

Chapter 18

"Alright brats," Anko snarled, "Try to keep up." That was the only warning the still half frozen genin received before she kicked in the opposite wall of the room and jumped out. Murmurs and half curses among the stunned genin were heard as confusion took a hold of some.

Sasuke was one of the first to move after her; dashing out of the hole in the wall and into the hallway leading to a broken window. With his team right behind him they chased after the destructive kunoichi. Not too long afterwards the room was empty of genin leaving behind an annoyed Obito.

"Does she always have to destroy things?" one chuunin complained. Not bothering to stay and listen to them moan he teleported out to the roof top where he could view the chase. Knowing Anko, she wouldn't lose them but she sure as hell was going to make them work for it. This first little exercise was to test their tenacity.

If anyone asked him, just meeting Anko was enough to test anyone's tenacity at wanting to become a ninja. He'd never say that to her face though; not many lived to tell the tale after pissing her off. With a shudder he tuned back into the chase at hand.

Naruto's team wasn't having any trouble keeping up. With Sasuke's sharingan they were actually chasing the original. Anko had several clones running about the makeshift course that would eventually lead them to the Forest of Death.

One Stone team was running along an alley way with a clone of Anko just ahead of them. Unaware of their surroundings they failed to take notice of the many doors and windows next to them. The clone turned a corner only to burst out from a window to their right, knocking down the third member of the team. It looked like Anko had already decided on which team wasn't going to make it to the next round.

Obito could only chuckle at the typical move. Whenever she was in her own element, Anko could still even surprise him. Minato had said something about her learning that from her previous and last squad leader. He also said something about her being the way she was because of him. No one talked about her past and for good reasons too.

"Damn brats!" Anko yelled as she ducked under a kick. She'd have to get serious with this bunch. They were tricky and extremely persistent. In truth she wasn't surprised that they were the ones who had found her. It was the Hokage's brats and the Nara's kid. It would have been pathetic if they were chasing after one of her clones.

Rumor was that they'd been training under Obito and even that creepy little Uchiha nerd that never laughed. Some even accounted that the Hokage himself gave them personal training! Special treatment tended to inflate heads so she'd taken it upon herself to teach these kids a real lesson. After all, no one got anything unless they deserved it, right?

She drew back from a swing by the blue one only to block a well-timed kick from blondie. She nearly couldn't avoid the shadow that darted straight for her own. The fight continued and Anko couldn't help but smile deviously. She'd show them. She'd show _all of them_.

This was the most fun she'd had in a while.

This was annoying, Sasuke thought. While it might be a nice warm up for the actual exam they didn't have time to play around with Anko. Hell, he didn't give a damn about the exam. After surveying the genin he had confirmed that Gaara wasn't there. His brother and sister were though.

The puppeteer and the wind user looked a lot less intimidating without their psychotic little brother. He had wondered briefly why they were here a year early but dropped it. It didn't matter, without Gaara, they wouldn't be a problem.

He hadn't spotted Kabuto or anyone resembling the man. The Fourth hadn't reported any matches to that description either. Grass didn't have any weirdoes that could house a creep like Orochimaru; not that he saw anyway. Besides, the man was dead, he had to remind himself. Naruto and the chuunin were keeping their chakra low while in the presence of the other genin. He could tell from the random spurts and oozing chakra which genin were worth keeping an eye out for. He barely saw the Hyuuga but his chakra was unmistakable. He didn't have to see him to know that he was there. The over-excited and exuberating green copy of Gai wasn't there surprisingly but the plain weapons girl was there. He didn't recognize the third member of that Leaf team.

The silence back in the room had been thick, surpassed only by the tension. During the chuunin exam was the only time so many foreign ninja could be crammed together in one room without a fight breaking out. Tradition was that each village sent out their potential ninja to show off to the others. It was a way of keeping an eye on who was who and which village to keep an eye on. It was still pretty much the same.

Bored and tired of waiting Sasuke had started to meditate as he waited for someone to start.

Before Anko had even crashed through the wall he had felt Naruto twitch. It was an involuntary reaction that he'd learned to depend on.

He flipped back from a sneaky serpentine swipe. Back to the present fight he glanced at Naruto and tilted his head. It was time to go. Another glance at Nara and they all rushed in for a direct attack. Several Naruto shadow clones appeared to join in on the fight. Several seconds later more shadow clones of Sasuke and Shika popped up too.

Attacked from every which way Anko could only block before it all turned into nothing more than a dog pile with her on the bottom. Taking the chance the three fled towards the Forest of Death before the mad woman could resurface.

_It'd been a long time since he had done any sage training. The wind had directed him to the forest but once inside it was eerily calm as if its duty was complete. He didn't make a move as he surveyed the area. On the edge of his consciousness just out of his reach was a presence. It wavered in and out, weak and then strong. _

_He couldn't grasp it. Focusing his chakra he began the process of entering sage mode. It took longer than it used to. He knew how but his young, inexperienced body didn't. When it started taking like what seemed forever to him he furrowed his brow and growled. _

_With one last ditch effort he finally let out a long breath and tried to calm down. The sudden impatience had upset him; he couldn't remember when he was this unhappy about something so stupid. He could still hear the old frog master yell at him but he could no longer even fathom the pain of the whack that accompanied his turning into a frog. _

_Not at all at ease he gave up for now and sat back. How was he supposed to meditate when all he wanted to do was brood and beat something-some_one_ up? Stupid Sasuke for making him feel this. And what did he feel? _

_The question had him wondering. He'd never really actually thought about what he was feeling. After a second he wasn't sure why Sasuke made him mad. He wasn't sure why he felt so alone-he had everyone that mattered nearby._

_Didn't he?_

_His father was alive, Sasuke hadn't run away from him, and although Kakashi was dead, Obito wasn't bad at all. Creepy Itachi was decent every now and then to him. Sakura didn't know him at all, yet, so he wasn't worried about them; same with the others. He knew they were keeping things from him but he was willing to go along with it if it made them happy. _

_So why did he feel so alone? _

_Sometimes it felt like they didn't recognize him, like they didn't appreciate that he had gotten along just fine by himself all these years. They might consider it as protection but Naruto could only feel it as mockery. He was always last-last to his classmates, last to learn, last to past, last to Sasuke._

_Always dead-last. _

_A sudden wave of hatred surged up inside him. For a second it felt like Kyuubi was going to overwhelm him but he snapped back to his surroundings. He shook it off, unaware of the lingering whisper of chakra. He had to start meditating again; never before had he ever let his anger get the better of him. He only gave a passing thought to Kyuubi's interference. It was a common occurrence now to have the fox demon voice its emotions._

_He lay back against the green covered ground and closed his eyes never ever thinking that his drifting thoughts of anger would come to life. And that he would come to hate those he held dear to him. His precious people._

_His Sasuke._

At the perimeter of the Forest of Death, Shika leaned against a tree with his eyes closed. For those who didn't know him it looked like the genin was bored. But to those who did, which were few, they'd at least suspect that the genius's mind was working. And it was.

In the short amount of time that he'd known the other two genin, he'd come to know quite a bit about them. Most of the information he'd gathered was simply from observing them interact with each other and the few questions that he had asked them and his father.

There really wasn't a simple summary for those two. Their rivalry and bond went deeper than just the span of twelve years. The explanations that could account for that were far beyond anything normal. He would need to know several more things before he could even determine why he knew this.

For now, according to Sasuke's explanation, all he was to them was a third team mate. Becoming chuunin was an important step for these two and they needed him to complete the three man team. Despite never having been in a real battle before he wasn't worried about the competition today. Naruto and Sasuke had proven themselves to be great team mates. They'd made it clear that all he'd have to do was his best and they'd cover for him.

With all that he knew about them, he knew Sasuke was quiet and calculating, unless he was interacting with Naruto and then all Hell broke loose. And Naruto was a handful, even on his best behavior, which was why when he was totally surprised when Naruto had been quieter than a mouse back in the room. There wasn't even a twitch or peep from him. The boundless energy had been muted today, if not missing altogether.

He opened one eye and snuck a peek at the dynamic duo. Sasuke appeared to be meditating while he sat on the ground cross-legged. Naruto was standing and slightly pacing but his attention was on the Forest of Death. Whenever Shika could catch a peak at Naruto's expression, it seemed far off, like he was looking at something deeper inside that only he could see.

If Sasuke noticed Naruto's behavior he didn't show any indication of it. Perhaps this was the way the two acted when outside of training. He didn't know. All he could do for now as wait for the rest of the others to get here and get started on this exam.

It wasn't too much longer after that thought that several teams burst through the light scattering of trees surrounding the fenced perimeter of the Forest of Death. There was the Sand team with three of the Stone teams. Not too long afterward the rest of the teams showed up. Some teams were a little out of breath after chasing the snake woman all over the course. They were short one team though.

"Well, well, well. Not too bad!" Anko dropped out of the trees in front of the majority of the group. Her sharp, toothy grin along with her pounding chakra scared some of the less experienced genin.

"One bunch of little kiddies down, sixteen bunches left to go!" she boasted as her gaze swept over the rest of the genins. She abruptly turned around and then whipped out some paper.

"Unfortunately, before I can throw you to your death, you all need to sign these death waivers. When you die here, you can't blame me, yadda yadda blah blah," she rambled and started handing sheets out to the genin. When one genin froze to the spot and refused to take the paper she grinned from ear to ear, "You don't have to sign this, brat. But if you don't, your team can't participate."

After several minutes and all the waivers were signed and collected Anko collected herself and began talking in all seriousness.

"The rules are as follows. There are sixteen teams so there is an even number of you. There is a reason that you were trained in a three man team. Three is the most efficient number for completing missions. If you couldn't work with your team you wouldn't be here. This exam tests your team's ability to operate as an interceptor and as a retriever. In future missions, your Kage will assign your team to retrieve vital information. Other missions your Kage will assign your team to protect vital information. This exam simulates an actual mission.

"Half of you will be start off as retrievers and the other half will start as interceptors and some teams will have scrolls. There is precious information involved contained in the scrolls that only some teams will start off with. This information is confidential and shall be opened only by an authorized person. Your job is to get it to the right person. If you don't have one, try to get one. If you do start off with one, prepare to be attacked! The goal is to get a scroll to the tower to the right person. Your entire team must make it there. You have three days. I'll see who survives at the end of those three days!" Anko laughed maniacally before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

A dozen Leaf chuunin dropped down from the trees and start escorting the majority of the teams to different start places around the edge of the forest. He couldn't see which teams had a scroll. They didn't receive any scrolls from their chuunin.

Shika finally got a good look at the other Leaf team that was competing as well as they moved away. Earlier in the room they had been obscured by several teams. The long haired genin with the white eyes was definitely a Hyuuga but he didn't know who he was. He didn't recognize the other two; a girl and another boy. They looked pretty unremarkable compared to the Hyuuga.

He had no idea if they were any good and he didn't know anything else about any of the other teams. He almost didn't recognize the Hidden Waterfall insignia on one of the teams. Never having actually left the village, he only knew where the other countries were from the map he'd learn about in school. Certain places were known for their specialized technique and Konoha was no different. Sasuke and Naruto didn't look concerned so he turned his gaze to the forest. When something or someone moved further into the dark shadows of the trees away from his sight he frowned. Was Naruto looking at that earlier?

A glance at Sasuke showed that Sasuke had noticed as well. For the first time in the day, Naruto seemed to come to life. His chakra level rose and he smiled in the most feral fashion that Shika had ever seen before.

"Get ready!" the chuunin called out. Shika braced himself. It would suck to have to deal with someone right away.

"Go!" The gate opened and Naruto yelled out, "Let's do this!" and off they went.


End file.
